Carthage R-9 | R 2860 Students with Communicable Diseases

The following administrative guidelines have been developed to assist in implementing Policy 2860.

The District's policy and regulations on communicable diseases, including detailed information about procedures to be implemented if a student with a chronic infectious disease is enrolled, will be made available to parents of all students attending District schools.
All employees will follow the most recent guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control, including applicable universal precautions in cleaning up body fluid spills (a copy of which shall be on file in the office of the Supervisor of Health Services and in the office of each school nurse), regardless whether an individual infected with a body fluid or blood-borne pathogen is known to be present in the school environment or related activities. Willful or negligent disregard for these precautions by any staff member will be cause for disciplinary action.

Acute Infectious Disease

A staff member who has reason to believe that a student has been exposed to a contagious or infectious disease or who observes symptoms of such a disease, shall inform the principal. The principal will consult with the school nurse about the child.
If the school nurse determines that the student has an acute contagious or infectious disease, the principal will exclude the student from school for the number of days specified in the latest revision of the Missouri Department of Health Publication, "Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases - A Guide for School Administrators, Nurses, Teachers and Day Care Operators," PACH-16, or until a physician certifies that the student no longer is liable to transmit the disease.
If a student has been excluded from school by the principal because the student has or is suspected of having an acute contagious or infectious disease, the student and his/her parent/guardian may appeal such decision in writing to the Superintendent. The Superintendent may require the student to be examined by a physician designated by the District, the child's own physician, or both, at the option of the Superintendent. The student shall not attend classes or participate in school activities during the appeal period.

Chronic Infectious Disease

If the principal, after consulting with the school nurse, determines that a student may have a chronic infectious disease, the student may be excluded from school and provided an education in an alternative setting until the following procedures have been concluded. Prior to excluding the student, the student's parents/guardians shall receive written notification of the intent to exclude and their procedural safeguards as set forth in the District's compliance plan for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The principal shall immediately report any student who has or is suspected of having a chronic infectious disease to the Superintendent or his/her designee. The Superintendent or his/her designee shall within three (3) working days appoint a Review Committee to assess the student's medical condition. The Committee should include the following:
1. The student's parents/guardians.
2. The student's physician.
3. A physician specialist in public health or infectious diseases.
4. The Supervisor of Health Services, who shall serve as Chairperson of the Review Committee, or his/her designee.
5. The principal.
6. The Superintendent or his/her designee.
7. Others mutually agreed upon by the District and the parents/guardians.
The District's legal counsel may serve on the Committee in an advisory capacity.

If the student has been identified as a student with disabilities pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the student may be excluded from school and provided with an education in an alternative setting, so long as such exclusion does not constitute a change in placement pursuant to the IDEA. The student's medical condition and educational placement will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures set forth above, with the following additional provisions:
1. Prior to excluding the student, the student's parents/guardians shall receive written notification of their procedural safeguards as set forth in the District's compliance plan for implementing the IDEA, in addition to written notice of their procedural safeguards pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
2. The Review Committee shall include the chairperson of the student's Individual Educational Program Committee or his/her designee.
The members of the Review Committee shall determine the fitness of the student to attend school. The Committee will assess the student's condition, the school conditions, and the risks of exposing others to the disease in the school environment, and shall determine whether the student should (1) be permitted to attend school without restrictions; (2) attend school under stated restrictions and conditions; or (3) be excluded from attending school and provided an alternative educational program. The Committee will prepare a written individual school health care plan for the student and establish dates and/or conditions under which the student's status will be reviewed. The Committee will also identify the persons who have a medical need to know the identity of the student because they are responsible for providing proper health care, and will provide the names of those persons to the Superintendent or his/her designee.
Within three (3) working days after the Committee is convened, the Committee will make a determination and prepare findings of fact, which the Chairperson shall communicate in writing to the student's parents/guardians, the principal, and the Superintendent. The parents/guardians shall again receive written notification of their procedural safeguards as set forth in the District's compliance plan for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (and in the District's compliance plan for implementing the IDEA, if applicable). The meetings, records, and votes of the Review Committee shall not be open to the public. The determination will be final unless reversed on appeal pursuant to the Complaint Procedures set out in the District's compliance plan for Section 504 (or the procedures in the District's compliance plan for implementing the IDEA, if applicable).
If a student with a chronic infectious disease is permitted to attend school, the Superintendent will notify those persons who were identified by the Review Committee as having a medical need to know the student's identity and conditions under which the student is attending school. Willful or negligent disclosure of confidential information will be cause for disciplinary action.
Staff members who have a medical need to know the identity of a student with a chronic infectious disease include (1) those who are designated by the District to determine the fitness of the student to attend school; (2) those who are responsible for providing health care to the student, such as the school nurse; and (3) those who are most likely to be in a position to render first aid to the student in case of an accident or medical emergency.
A student who has a chronic infectious disease shall be evaluated pursuant to the District's compliance plan for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (and the District's compliance plan for implementing the IDEA, if applicable) to determine whether any accommodations or related services are necessary for the student to receive a free appropriate public education. If accommodations or related services are necessary, the District shall develop and implement a plan for the delivery of all needed services. This evaluation shall be conducted regardless of whether the student is permitted to attend school with or without conditions and restrictions, or is excluded from school.