This issue of ERCMExpress presents the topic "Schools Respond to Infectious Disease." Every year, schools confront a range of infectious diseases such as chicken pox, lice, ringworm and seasonal influenza. In response, faculty and staff work together to control the outbreak, quell fears and dispel rumors. For example, school administrators may educate faculty about the disease, send notices home to parents to warn about the dangers of an outbreak and work collaboratively with the school nurse and other trained staff to accurately identify and treat sick children. For example, one disease, influenza, with a new mutated strain--avian virus (N5H1), easily spreads from person to person and could trigger a pandemic or global outbreak that would pose incredible challenges not only to health care providers, but also to schools and school districts. Now is the time for the education community to begin planning for an emergency health care response that will protect the health and well-being of students and staff. Schools tend to be affected by outbreaks more than other settings because their occupants--primarily children--easily transmit illnesses to one another as a result of their close proximity and their inefficiency at containing the droplets issued by their coughs and sneezes. Many schools and school districts have already established or are beginning to establish plans for addressing a pandemic. These emergency response and crisis management plans should build on existing or emerging multi-hazard planning efforts. The four phases of emergency response and crisis management--prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery--provide a solid structure to follow when planning for a pandemic. [This publication was funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education under contract with Caliber Associates, Inc.]