AUSTIN, Texas - As the flu continues to spread across the country, Austin ISD is finding ways to keep students, teachers and staff healthy.

"Like we've seen in the community, we've also seen an increase in flu over the past couple weeks since coming back from winter break,” said Tracy Spinner, AISD's assistant director of health services.

This year, Austin ISD is working overtime to find ways to prevent children from getting influenza.

An email sent out to parents at one AISD school noted that nine kids were out sick and two were with confirmed cases of flu.

Part of prevention is education, especially for younger children.

"We teach little kids that all time you know sneezing into your elbow and when your washing your hands, sing the happy birthday song twice all the way through,” said Spinner.

To keep the rest of their students healthy, teachers ask parents to keep their sick children home from school. Educators also teach how to spot, whether their child has the flu, a cold or just allergies.

"We are sending information out to campuses and to parents in multi-languages to inform them about the symptoms their child may be experiencing,” added Spinner.

Another important aspect of prevention is cleaning; janitorial crews are picking up additional shifts to disinfect the most germ-prone areas.

"The commonly touched surfaces, wiping off the desk tops, wiping off the hand rails, the water fountains, cleaning the restrooms multiple times a day," Spinner said.

Part of prevention also includes making sure hand washing areas have supplies needed so students have no reason not to keep their hands clean.

In addition to daily cleaning, an anti-microbial fogger is being used at the high schools to further disinfect. This process protects up to 90 days.