Posted: January 10, 2007

To: Sonoma County School Principals, School Nurses, and Attendance Clerks
From: Sonoma County Public Health Disease Control Unit

School Average Daily Attendance (ADA) Loss Caused by an Epidemic

During outbreaks there can be a disruption of the school routine, with high absentee rates among both students and staff. We are also aware of the added responsibility to concerned staff and parents needing timely answers. Although we cannot replace the expertise of school nurses, we are available as an additional resource for information and disease tracking.

Moreover, if a disease outbreak causes your school to sustain a high absentee rate, we can write a letter of support for the school to help recoup a portion of the financial loss. The average daily attendance (ADA) loss caused by an infectious disease outbreak that may qualify for reimbursement from the state, as defined by Education Code Section 46392(a) 4, is "at least ten percent of the students who would normally attend a school do not attend on any one day," as measured from average daily baseline attendance on that date. Early reporting to us of disease outbreaks in your school will facilitate our monitoring of the outbreak and our ability to help you with reimbursement.

We look forward to working with you and your staff in our joint venture to keep our schools and communities healthy. Please don't hesitate to call if you have questions or comments.

Contact information for the Sonoma County Disease Control Unit:

Phone: 707-565-4567
Fax: 707-565-4565
Ask a Disease Control Nurse: www.sonoma-county.org/health/ph/diseasecontrol/form_ask.htm Website: www.sonoma-county.org/health/ph/diseasecontrol/

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