A Letter to Houston Academy Parents from Dothan Pediatric Health Care Network

 Dear HA Family:

As the Delta Variant of COVID-19 sweeps across our state, I know many of you are struggling with the decision whether or not to vaccinate your children. I would like to pass along a letter from one of the finest Pediatric practices in the Wiregrass, many members of which are current or former Houston Academy parents. We urge you to talk to your own healthcare provider about this important decision. 

We can't wait to welcome your children back to school next week! 

WE DID IT!!!

This year, my communication with our stakeholders has primarily been through direct emails, not through this blog. There is a reason for this. I felt that an open blog, during this pandemic, had the potential to draw attention to the way Houston Academy had chosen to address the health and safety of our students and faculty. In short, I didn’t want any chance for our health and safety decisions to become political. 

So, now, we are a few days away from graduation, and I’d like the world to know: WE DID IT!

We had in-person classes all year – we didn’t miss a single collective day due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, our teachers quickly adapted to provide quality, distance learning for those students who needed it. All of our sports teams finished their season, and most went deep into the playoffs (or won state championships). Again, COIVD was not a major impediment to our success. We had performances. We had Prom. We had the 2nd Grade Luau. We had Mayfair. And now, we are about to have our graduation, indoors, in our traditional location. 

Why were we able to do this, while so many other schools stayed closed or had limited in-person educational opportunities? First, I will say that our Leadership Team at the school did an outstanding job planning for and responding to potential crisis situations. They sought out the advice of leading medical experts, in addition to collaborating with other independent schools across the country. 

Secondly, our faculty has worked harder than I’ve ever seen a group of professionals work. They had to balance in-person teaching with the needs of distance learners. The technology coordination was a challenge, in and of itself, but teachers also had to struggle with varied assessment, ensuring academic integrity, and maintain curricular scope, pace, and sequence.  Truly, it has been exhausting. 

Thirdly, our students and families have been absolutely amazing. There is no way that we would have navigated this successfully without our students being careful and compliant and without our families taking our health and safety protocols seriously. In particular, our senior class showed remarkable leadership. Given what these seniors have lost over the last year and a half, it would have been very easy for them to complain and pout. However, they did no such thing. They set a positive tone for the school, and served as an example for all of us. 

Finally, we are very fortunate to have such a talented and intelligent health care community here in Dothan. I was able to regularly communicate with local pediatricians, the Alabama Department of Public Health, and the administrators at our local hospitals. Their research-based medical advice allowed us to always say that we were making decisions based on the best information from the scientific community. 

In short, I’d like to thank our entire community for helping us navigate this difficult situation.  I’ve never been prouder to be a Raider! 

Coronavirus

Dear HA Family:

Our school is currently monitoring closely the spread of the coronavirus and if it may, in time, affect our campus. Our main priority is to keep our students, faculty, and staff healthy and safe. We want to assure you that we will take necessary precautions so that our students are protected.

On-Campus Response

On campus, we have created a plan in response to the potential threat of this epidemic. The plan also applies to influenza, or any other pandemic virus that may cause serious widespread illnesses. It includes preventative and environmental sanitation practices on campus. Our plan includes:

·      Our maintenance staff taking care to wipe down door knobs other frequently touched surfaces on a daily basis;   

·      Starting a campaign to ensure our students wash their hands frequently and use the hand sanitizer that is placed in each classroom;

·      Encouraging students to cough or sneeze into their arm, not their hands;

·      Strongly urging all families NOT TO SEND YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL SHOULD SIGNS OF ILLNESS APPEAR (as always, we ask that a child be fever-free for 24 hours before he or she returns to school);

·      Asking our teachers and students to wipe down desks throughout the day to ensure those surfaces are sanitary.

Travel

With the approach of spring break and families traveling domestically and internationally, we strongly encourage you to adhere to the CDC's guidelines on travel, and use U.S. State Department website to review your destination(s) before your departure, during your trip and upon your return. We understand this information changes and as such, encourage you to check this website regularly.

Additionally, we ask that any community members who find it necessary to travel to areas of CDC Level 2 or Level 3 concern inform the School of their travel so that we may provide appropriate guidance. We will be asking travelers from those countries to refrain from coming to campus for a minimum of 14 days after their return home.

I was able to speak directly to the Head of the Alabama Department of Public Health. After a detailed conversation, I have determined that Houston Academy will postpone all school-sponsored travel scheduled for Short Term.  As a result, all Short Term classes/experiences are cancelled, except for senior internships. Because it would be impossible to incorporate all of the students that were scheduled to travel, regular classes will continue next week.

Planning for Possible School Disruption

We are planning to explore the option remote learning should we find it necessary to cancel school for a prolonged period of time. We suggest you ensure that your student has access to high-speed internet should virtual learning need to occur for any period of time. If access is a problem for your family, please contact your child’s division head.

Please remember that students take their emotional cues from the adult community. We encourage you to monitor your child's engagement in the topic and help them understand what they are seeing and hearing to avoid anxiety. Being prepared is not a cause for panic or alarm. Here is a helpful article on how to talk to your child about the Coronavirus outbreak. Our Counseling staff are here to help you, as well.


If you have any questions relating to our policies and procedures, please feel free to contact your respective division head or me.

E-Cigarettes - "Vaping"

An “Epidemic”

The head of the Food and Drug Administration has termed it an “epidemic” (Fox, 2018). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 16.2% of high school seniors in the United States use e-cigarettes, and incredibly, 9.5% of 8^th graders use e-cigarettes. Moreover, the same study shows that 30.7% of teens who “vape” (as smoking e-cigarettes is commonly known) start smoking traditional cigarettes within 6 months of starting the use of e-cigarettes (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016).

The Health Effects

Amazingly, the majority of teens seem to believe that inhaling a foreign substance has no negative impact on their health. In fact, the same study cited above notes that 66% of teens believe that e-cigarettes are comprised of  “just flavoring,” and 13% “don’t know” what is in their vape. Another study showed that 6 in 10 students surveyed believed that vaping caused little or no harm to their health, as long as they are not using every day (Know the Risks, 2018). Of course, it IS true that  there are no long-term trials on such a relatively new product. What we do know, however, is frightening enough. Almost all e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is one of the most highly addictive chemicals on earth. Nicotine has been shown to be particularly damaging to the teenage brain (Know the Risks, 2018). According to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the U.S Surgeon General, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Youth and young adults are also uniquely at risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning  (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016).

Additionally, there are any number of other pernicious compounds in e-cigarette mixtures. One study carried out by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at 51 different liquid flavors commonly sold in the United States and in 47 of them, they found three different chemicals (diacetyl, acetoin and 2,3-pentanedione) that are linked to serious respiratory disease (Allen et al., 2015). Besides nicotine and the chemicals mentioned above, “vape juice” has been shown to contain heavy metals (i.e., nickel, tin, and lead), organic compounds (such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust), and other ultra-fine particles that lodge in the users’ lungs.

Marketing and Sales

The e-cigarette industry denies that they are marketing their products to children and teens, yet colorful packaging and flavors such as “Bubble Pop,” “Strawberry Cotton Candy,” “Sour Gummy Worms,” and “Peanut Butter Cup” have an undeniable appeal to youth who might otherwise never consider using a tobacco product.

"Juul Device" 

Frighteningly, one of the most popular e-cigarette delivery systems is “Juul.” A single Juul cartridge contains as much nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes. The Juul apparatus, itself, is small, and to the casual observer, looks like a USB thumb drive. In fact, Juul is charged through a computer’s USB port. The Juul liquid can be odorless, and its use is often  unnoticed by others.

I went online and found that I could acquire a Juul “starter kit” for $49.99, plus free shipping. My kit would include a Juul device, a USB charging dock, and four cartridges which come in “Virginia Tobacco, Mint, Crème, and Mango” flavors. All I needed was a credit card and to “verify” that I was 21. The official Juul website also has a handy-dandy map app where I can find the Juul retailer that is closest to my home. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but “Vape Shops” have become ubiquitous here in Dothan.

 What H.A. is Doing

We are having a speaker, Dr. Michael Ramsey, come and hold a parent night on the issue. Our counselors and advisors are discussing vaping with our students. We already have surveillance cameras throughout the school, but we are currently investigating installing censors in our rest rooms. Recently, we limited student access to the parking lot during the day. Furthmore, you should know that we reserve to right to search our students, their cars, or their lockers if we have reasonable suspicion that he or she has e-cigarettes or other tobacco products in his or her possession. We trust you will understand that our sole goal is to keep your children safe. At the very least, we must ensure that we do not have drugs, alcohol, or tobacco on this campus.

What You Can Do As A Parent

Talk to your children about the dangers of vaping, but also, don’t be naïve. Realize that even the best kids succumb to peer pressure, and the adolescent brain is WIRED to take risks and act impulsively. If you believe your child would never lie to you, you are living in a fantasy world. I often joke that I know my own children are lying to me “because their lips are moving”! I think I have good kids, but I’ve been working with teens for thirty years, and I know with certainty that my children will lie to me – especially when the stakes are high.

In any case, if the research is correct (and I believe it is), and if the rumors are true, we already have a number of students in our community using e-cigarettes, and some are probably addicted. We can work to make this campus safe, but that doesn’t mean that our kids won’t vape once they leave this campus.

Search your children’s belongings, and help them understand, as children in our charge, there IS NO SUCH THING as a right to privacy. When my own offspring are gone and paying their own bills, they can have their privacy. For now, I will search their cell phones, their car, and their bedroom. If they don’t like me searching their phones and cars, I will take their phone and car away. If they don’t want me to search their bedrooms, I’ll take the hinges off their door. I will do this because I love them and I want them safe, and because I understand that good kids make bad decisions.  I am not their friend, and I sure as heck don’t want them to think I am cool.

In Conclusion…

One of the beautiful things about living in Dothan and being at Houston Academy is that we are an incredibly close-knit community. Let’s talk about this epidemic, and let’s not get offended if someone tells us of rumors that our child might be vaping, drinking, or doing drugs. We are a family, and we can work together as a family to keep our children safe.

Works Cited

Fox, M. (2018, September 12). NBC News. Retrieved from NBC News.com: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/e-cigarette-use-epidemic-fda-chief-says-n908781

Joseph G. Allen , Skye S. Flanigan , Mallory LeBlanc , Jose Vallarino , Piers MacNaughton , James H. Stewart , and David C. Christiani . (2015, December 12). Flavoring Chemicals in E-Cigarettes: Diacetyl, 2,3-Pentanedione, and Acetoin in a Sample of 51 Products, Including Fruit-, Candy-, and Cocktail-Flavored E-Cigarettes. Environmental Health Perspectives, 124, 733-739.

Know the Risks, E-cigarettes & Young People. (2018). Retrieved October 2018, from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2016, February). Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics-/trends-statistics/infographics/teens-e-cigarettes