[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 233 (Tuesday, December 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71797-71798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-29175]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[60 Day-13-0849]
Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and
Recommendations
In compliance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 for opportunity for public comment on
proposed data collection projects, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) will publish periodic summaries of proposed projects.
To request more information on the proposed projects or to obtain a
copy of the data collection plans and instruments, call 404-639-7570
and send comments to Ron Otten, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-D74, Atlanta, GA
30333 or send an email to [email protected].
Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have a practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of information technology. Written comments
should be received within 60 days of this notice.
Proposed Project
School Dismissal Monitoring System (OMB Control No. 0920-0849 Exp.
5/31/2013)--Revision--National Center Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious
Diseases (NCEZID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Background and Brief Description
In the spring of 2009, the beginning of H1N1 influenza pandemic,
illness among school-aged students (K-12) in many states and cities
resulted in at least 1,351 school dismissals due to rapidly increasing
absenteeism among students or staff. These dismissals impacted at least
824,966 students and 53,217 teachers. During that time, the U.S.
Department of Education (ED) and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) received numerous daily requests about the overall
number of school dismissals nationwide and the number of students and
teachers impacted by the school dismissals. CDC and ED recognized the
importance of having a mechanism in place to collect this information
and gauge the impact of school dismissals during the pandemic. Although
an informal process was put in place in conjunction with ED to track
school closures, there was no formal monitoring system established.
Consequently, CDC and ED launched the School Dismissal Monitoring
System to track reports of school closures during public health
emergencies and generate accurate, real-time, national summary data
daily on the number of closed schools and the number of students and
teachers impacted by the dismissals. The system, initially approved
under OMB Control No. 0920-0008, Emergency Epidemic Investigations,
facilitated CDC's and ED's efforts to track implementation of CDC
pandemic guidance, characterized factors associated with differences in
morbidity and mortality due to pandemic influenza in the schools and
surrounding communities, and described the characteristics of the
schools experiencing outbreaks as well as control measures undertaken
by those schools. In the fall of 2009, CDC's School Dismissal
Monitoring System detected 1,947 school dismissals impacting
approximately 623,616 students and 40,521 teachers nationwide. These
data were used widely throughout the U.S. Government for situational
awareness and specifically at CDC to assess the impact of CDC guidance
and community mitigation efforts in response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza
pandemic.
The purpose of this monitoring system is to generate accurate,
real-time, national summary data daily on the number of school
dismissals and the number of students and teachers impacted by the
dismissals due to public health emergencies. This collection request
includes dismissals initiated for infectious disease outbreaks or
weather related events when school dismissals are recommended by
federal, state or local public health authorities.
[[Page 71798]]
Respondents for this data collection are individuals representing
schools, school districts, and public health agencies. CDC has
determined that the information to be collected is necessary to study
the impact of a public health emergency as it relates to community
mitigation activities. The information has been used to help understand
how CDC guidance on school dismissals has been implemented at the state
and local levels nationwide and to help determine how this guidance
might be more helpful in the future. Specifically, data collection will
be utilized to:
1. Determine the scope and extent of school dismissals in the
United States during public health emergencies:
a. Prospectively monitor data to identify schools and school
districts that have high dismissal rates due to infectious diseases, or
that implement pre-emptive school dismissals due to other public health
emergencies due to other reasons when recommended by public health
officials.
b. Retrospectively review data collected to describe impact school
dismissals had on students and teachers
2. Describe the characteristics of schools and school districts
with high dismissal rates due to infectious diseases
Respondents are required to identify their respective institutions
by providing non-sensitive information, to include the name and zip
code of schools and school districts and their dates of closure, as
well as reason for the dismissal (due to illness rates among students
and staff or pre-emptive to slow the spread of infection). The
respondents have the option of providing their position titles, phone
number of the institution they represent, and email address. The
estimates for burden hours are derived from the 627 total number of
reported closures during the fall in 2009. We have multiplied that
number by four as an estimate for a calendar year. Respondents are
providing this information as public health and education officials and
representatives of their agencies and organizations and not as private
citizens. The data collection does not involve personally identifiable
information and should have no impact on an individual's privacy. There
are no costs to respondents other than their time.
Estimated Annualized Burden Hours
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Average
No. of No. of burden per Total burden
Type of respondent Form name respondents responses per response (in (in hours)
respondent hours)
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School, school district, or School Dismissal 2500 1 5/60 208
public health authorities. Monitoring Form.
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Total..................... ................ .............. .............. .............. 208
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Dated: November 26, 2012.
Ron A. Otten,
Director, Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI), Office of the Associate
Director for Science (OADS), Office of the Director, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2012-29175 Filed 12-3-12; 8:45 am]
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