In early January, Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA, had so many people coming into the emergency room with flu symptoms that it set up a mobile ER—actually a large tent—to handle the flow.

“What is wrong with today’s teens?” many are asking. With school shootings, bullying, teen suicides, and violent teen crimes making headlines we’re left shaking our heads and wondering how to approach the rising concerns. For those who believe that tough love is the answer to scaring troubled teens straight, the following findings may surprise you.

Winter weather most likely has your mind preoccupied on snow removal, heat conservation, and winter maintenance. However, if your school is located in the south or west, winter maintenance concerns are minimal, and even for those located in snowier regions, playground updates are always somewhere on your to-do list.

Since last month's tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, school administrators and government officials have been looking at different processes and risk management procedures to secure U.S. schools. One idea is for schools to have armed guards on campus.

Since the tragedy last month at Sandy Hook Elementary School, our nation’s schools and government have been discussing new policies for protecting schools. Stricter gun laws, armed guards on campus, proposed gun/shooting classes—these are circulating topics of discussion. Surely, your Board, Head, key administrators, and yourself have taken a fresh look at your school’s risk management policies over the past few weeks, comparing your school’s standards to how other schools are securing their students and faculty.

According to The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations, an employee only needs to give an employer a short and plain statement of his or her need for leave. He/she doesn’t have to mention FMLA at all when asking for extended time off. It is up to you, as Business Manager or School Head, to determine if the employee qualifies for FMLA.

It’s flu season. Sniffles, sneezes, achy head, sore muscles, fatigue, cough, chills, fever, upset stomach—a perfect storm of symptoms guaranteed to make you feel miserable. Like it’s close cousin the common cold, the flu virus comes on strong and sudden. Symptoms are similar, only when it’s the flu that has struck you, symptoms are intense and lasting—sometimes for up to three weeks.

Q: Our school is thinking about instituting a merit pay plan. How would you recommend putting this in place?

Those who are drawn to HR work in schools generally are givers by nature. This is a wonderful characteristic and should be duly celebrated. Sometimes, though, givers give to everyone else without remembering that they occasionally need to give to themselves, renewing their own energies and passions. As 2013 begins, we want to offer a few words of encouragement along these lines.

We know that part of a school leader’s job is to build up the confidence of faculty and staff—helping “set them up” for success. A recent story reminded us, though, that sometimes we also need to build up the confidence of those whom we assume are already very confident: the Head’s direct reports and other senior professionals at the school.