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With another school year looming, districts across the nation are stepping up efforts to prevent swine flu outbreaks, the Associated Press reports.

The federal government will begin shipping a swine flu vaccine in mid-October and school officials are anticipating a high demand.

"There will be a massive attempt to use schools as vaccination centers," South Carolina State Superintendent Jim Rex told the Associated Press.

But questions remain, including exactly when the vaccine will be shipped and how much each state will get.

From the article: "The goal is to keep schools open; federal officials said last week schools should close only as a last resort. The emergence of the never-before-seen flu strain last spring prompted more than 700 schools to temporarily close, giving students and unexpected vacation as parents scrambled to find a cure."

On Sunday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urged parents and teachers to remain cautious.

"Hopefully, we will engage schools as good vaccination partners. We anticipate having school-based vaccination clinics as soon as they're available and getting kids the protection that they need," Sebelius said on ABC television's "This Week."

*UPDATE: County health officials have confirmed that they are NOT investigating any flu cases in San Pedro. (Story)

Los Angeles Unified is saying that there are no clusters of swine flu-like symptoms in San Pedro area schools, in contrast to a statement issued earlier today by county health officials.

"I would like to clear up any misinformation about the report of a cluster in San Pedro," Dr. Kimberly Uyeda, the school district's head of student medical services, said today in a recently issued press release.

"Several sick children were sent to a school nurse at an elementary school however, all were cleared to stay in school. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also determined that no investigation was necessary."

Early this morning, a county press release stated: "The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is also investigating three possible flu clusters in three schools located in the Santa Clarita Valley and San Pedro. Laboratory results on these clusters are expected by the end of the week."

At a press conference this morning, county Chief Medical Office Jonathan Fielding would not say which school was potentially affected.

We at the Breeze know parents and students are very concerned and we're working now to get officials to clarify these conflicting statements.

Meanwhile, all LAUSD campuses are open and the district is not recommending parents take their children out of school.

Karen Saunders, who heads operations at Local District 8 schools (Harbor Area, Gardena, Lomita, Carson), said, "We do not have swine flu in our district."

She added: "People are panicking."

The morning statement from the Department of Public Health has caused a flurry of calls from media and parents to local schools and the school district, education officials said.

Non-LAUSD schools in San Pedro -- Mary Star of the Sea, Port of Los Angeles High School (technically an LAUSD charter), Holy Trinity Catholic School, Rolling Hills Prep -- said they had no reported symptoms and no students have been sent home.

Gardena's 153rd Street Elementary School is one of a dozen Los Angeles Unified campuses where students are receiving training in non-violent communication.

The program, called Safe School Ambassadors, provides two-day training that's designed to reduce bullying and prevent violence.

From an LAUSD press release:

This bullying is getting younger, meaner, and more difficult to identify than ever before due to access to technology such as MySpace, cell phones, and YouTube. Perhaps most disturbing is that bullying and harassment are also becoming more acceptable among young people. Research shows that 70-85 percent of students have been passive bystanders to peer mistreatment. Their silence amounts to tacit consent, which further reinforces an environment of bullying and mistreatment.

"Students see, hear, and know what adults don't. They can intervene in ways adults can't, but usually don't," said Rick Phillips, Executive Director of Community Matters and co-founder of the Safe School Ambassadors program. "They often fear retaliation or simply don't know what to do."

The Safe School Ambassadors program removes these obstacles by very carefully identifying and selecting socially-influential "opinion leaders" from the diverse cliques and groups at school. These students are trained in nonviolent intervention and communication skills such as reasoning with their friends to avoid or stop cruelty and violence. The program is sustained by utilizing regularly-scheduled, small group meetings, in which Ambassadors strengthen their skills, share their experiences, and record their interventions.

The Annenberg Foundation and Kaiser Permanent South are funding the program, which is set for more than 60 campuses across Los Angeles County. Sebastopol-based nonprofit Community Matters is implementing the training, which took place in December at 153rd Street.