JGCC, Communicable Disease Control

FILE: JGCC

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL

The Cameron Parish School Board recognizes the importance of protecting the health and welfare of students, teachers, and other employees of the educational system from the spread of communicable diseases, including AIDS. The following policy statements, which were patterned after those approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), will be reviewed and revised regularly to reflect current medical research and legal opinion. The School Board will work cooperatively with the Louisiana Department of Education, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and the Centers for Disease Control for the prevention, control, and containment of communicable diseases in schools. For purposes of this policy and its accompanying regulations, the term "superintendent" shall mean the Cameron Parish Superintendent of Schools or the Superintendent's designee.

Students are expected to be in compliance with the required immunization schedule. The building principal is required under Revised Statute §17:170 to exclude children from school attendance who are out of compliance with the immunizations required by this statute.

School personnel will cooperate with public health personnel in completing and coordinating all immunization data, waivers and exclusions, including the necessary Vaccine Preventable Disease Section's School Immunization Report forms to provide for preventable communicable disease control.
The Superintendent may exclude a student or staff member for not more than five (5) days from school or employment when reliable evidence or information from a public health officer or physician confirms him/her of having a communicable disease or infestation that is known to be spread by any form of casual contact and is considered a health threat to the school population. Such a student or staff member shall be excluded until the public health officer approves school attendance or employment or the condition is no longer considered contagious.
When reliable evidence or information from a public health officer or physician confirms that a student/staff member is known to have a communicable disease or infection that is known not to be spread by casual contact, (i.e., Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other like diseases), the decision as to whether the affected person will remain in the school or employment setting will be addressed on a case by case basis by a review panel to ensure due process (see below).
Mandatory screening for communicable diseases that are known not to be spread by casual contact is not warranted as a condition for school entry or for employment or continued employment.
Irrespective of the disease presence, routine procedures shall be used and adequate sanitation facilities will be available for handling blood or body fluids within the school setting or school buses. School personnel will be trained in the proper procedures for handling blood and body fluids and these procedures will be strictly adhered to by all school personnel. (See Administrative procedures on Communicable Diseases, Guidelines for Handling Body Fluids in School.)
Any medical information that pertains to students or staff members, proceedings, discussions and documents shall be confidential information. Before any medical information is shared with anyone in the school setting a "Need to Know" review shall be made which includes the parent/guardian, student if 18, employee or his/her representative unless the information is required to meet the mandates of federal or state law or regulation, or Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) policy.
Instruction regarding the primary modes by which communicable diseases are spread and effective methods for the restriction and prevention of these diseases shall be taught to students, and inservice education provided to employees.

DUE PROCESS PROCEDURES

THE REVIEW PANEL

Communicable diseases that are known not to be spread by casual contact shall be addressed on a case by case basis by a review panel, composed of the following:

PANEL MEMBERSHIP

a.	The physician treating the individual.
b.	A health official from the Cameron Parish Health Department who is familiar with the disease or chief epidemiologist in the State Department of Public Health or his/her designee.
c.	A child/employee advocate (e.g., nurse, counselor, child advocate, social schooler, employee representative, etc., from in or outside the school setting) approved by the infected person or parent/guardian.
d.	A school system representative familiar with the child's behavior in the school setting or the employee's school situation. In the case of a student, the school principal, or the principal's designee, which should be the student's teacher, when feasible. In the case of a special education student, a special education representative may be more appropriate. In the case of an employee, the employee's supervisor, or the supervisor's designee.
e.	Either the parent/guardian of a child, a student if 18 years of age or older, employee, or their representative.
f.	The school system Superintendent, or the Superintendent's designee.
g.	The Panel reserves the right to retain a physician of its choice to examine the student/ employee and/or medical documentation of case in point.

The Superintendent shall assign a stenographer to record the proceedings, or have the proceedings recorded on tape or otherwise.

The Superintendent shall designate the chair of the panel.

The chair of the review panel shall designate the panel member who will write the "Proposal for Decision."

CASE REVIEW PROCESS

Upon learning of a student/employee within the Cameron Parish Public School System who has been identified as having a communicable disease that is known not to be spread by casual contact, the Superintendent shall:

Immediately consult with the physician of the student/employee or public health officer who has evidence of a present or temporary condition that could be transmitted by casual contact in the school setting.

(1)

If the physician of the student/employee or the Public Health Officer indicates the student/employee is well enough to remain in the school/work setting poses no immediate health threat through casual contact to the school population because of his/her illness, the student/employee shall be allowed to remain in the school/work setting while the review panel meets.

(2)

If the physician or the Public Health Officer indicates the student/employee is currently not well enough to remain in the school/work setting and/or that the affected individual currently has evidence of an illness or infection that poses a potential health threat through casual contact to the school population because of his/her illness, the student/employee shall be excluded from the school/work setting while the review panel meets. If the Public Health Officer recommends exclusion because a public health threat exists, the review panel will discuss the conditions under which the individual may return to school/work.

Immediately contact the review panel members to convene a meeting to explore aspects of the individual's case.

The Superintendent shall submit to the parent/guardian or infected person if 18 years or older, a copy of the Communicable Disease Control Policy.

All federal and state statutes, federal and state regulations, and all Board of Elementary and Secondary Education policy pertaining to provision of Special Educational Services must be observed.

THE REVIEW PANEL PROCESS

The Review Panel shall meet within one (1) - two (2) operational days, (a day when the School Board Central Office is open for business) to review the case. The following aspects should be considered in that review:

a.	The circumstances in which the disease is contagious to others.
b.	Any infections or illnesses the student/employee could have as a result of disease that would be contagious through casual contact in the school/work situation.
c.	The age, behavior, and neurologic development of the student/employee.
d.	The expected type of interaction with others in the school/work setting and the implications to the health and safety of those involved.
e.	The psychological aspects for both the infected individual and others remaining in the school/work setting.
f.	The possibility that contagious diseases may occur within the school population while the infected person is in attendance.
g.	Consideration of a potential request by the person with the disease to be excused from attendance in the school or on the job.
h.	The method of protecting the student/employee's right to privacy, including maintaining confidentiality.
i.	Recommendations as to whether the student/employee should continue in the school/work setting or if currently not attending school/work, under what circumstances he/she may return.
j.	Recommendations as to whether a restrictive setting or alternative delivery of school programs is advisable.
k.	Determination of whether an employee would be at risk of infection through casual contact when delivering an alternative educational program.
l.	Determination of when the case should be reviewed again by the panel.
m.	Any other relevant information.

PROPOSAL FOR DECISION

Within three (3) operational days (a day when the School Board Central Office is open for business) after the panel convenes, the Superintendent shall provide a written decision to the affected party based on the information brought out in the review panel process and will include the rationale for the decision concerning school attendance for the student or continuation of employment for the employee.

If the decision is to exclude the affected person from the school/work setting because of the existence of a temporary or present condition that is known to be spread by casual contact and is considered a health threat, the written decision shall include the conditions under which the exclusion will be reconsidered.

If the affected person is a Special Education student, an Individualized Education Program Conference must be convened to determine the appropriateness of the program and services to be provided for the student.

REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION BY REVIEW PANEL

The parent, guardian or affected person who considers the Proposal for Decision unjust may request reconsideration by the review panel, in writing, directed to the Superintendent within three (3) operational days of the date of the decision. Grounds for requesting a rehearing are limited to:

(a)

new evidence or information that is important to the decision; or

(b)

substantial error of fact.

The Superintendent, within two (2) operational days from the date of receipt of the request for rehearing shall either grant or deny the request for rehearing. If the request for rehearing is granted, the chair shall reconvene the same panel that originally heard the matter within five (5) operational days of the date the hearing is granted.

Within three (3) operational days (a day when the school system's Central Office is open for business) after the rehearing, the Superintendent shall submit the decision to the parent/guardian, or affected person.

Should the Superintendent deny the request for rehearing, the appellant may appeal to the local Board of Education by exercising the process in paragraph 2 below.

REQUEST FOR A BOARD DECISION

The parent/guardian, affected person or their representative may make a final written appeal to the President of the local Board of Education within five (5) operational days after the Superintendent's Decision. The Board shall meet within three (3) operational days and hear the student/employee's appeal along with the Proposal for Decision and Superintendent's Decision. Within two (2) operational days of the hearing, the Board shall render its decision in writing with copies sent to the Superintendent, Health Department health official, and parent/guardian or affected person.

REVIEW PANEL REQUEST FOR APPEAL

If the Proposal for Decision or the Superintendent's Decision is contrary to the majority opinion of the review panel, a majority of the panel has the right to appeal either decision in the same manner stated in the "Appeal Process."

GENERAL

If the affected student cannot attend school, the district will provide an alternative school program.

If the public health officer determines there is a risk of infection to an employee through casual contact while delivering this program, the employee will not be required to provide educational services.

If the public health officer determines there is no risk of infection to the employee, the employee will be expected to participate in the delivery of educational services.

The review panel member who is serving as the advocate for the infected individual (or another person designated by the panel and approved by the parent/guardian, or the infected person) will serve as the liaison between the student/employee, family and attending physician and the school system.

These procedures in no way limit or supercede the Procedural Due Process requirements established in 29 USC 706 (7), and R.S. 17:1941, 17:1946; 20 USC 1400-1482 et seq.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All persons involved in these procedures shall be required to treat all proceedings, deliberations, and documents as confidential information. Records of the proceedings and the decisions will be kept by the Superintendent in a sealed envelope with access limited to only those persons receiving the consent of the parent/guardian or infected person as provided as provided by 20 USC 1232 g.

BLOOD BORNE DISEASES

Blood borne diseases are those that are spread by blood and sexual contact. In the course of school activities the risk of exposure to these diseases is minimal. There is no epidemiological evidence that any of these diseases are spread by casual contact.

LICE

It shall be the policy of the School Board to authorize periodic lice screening of students for the purpose of identifying, and excluding from school, any student found to be infested with head lice. It shall be the responsibility of the school nurse to coordinate the lice screening program throughout the schools of the parish, and to train designated school personnel to aid in the screening procedures. The school nurse or the principal shall supervise screening procedures within each school, and shall notify the parent, in writing, when a student is found to be infested.

It shall remain the responsibility of the parent to adhere to stated lice control measures, and to return the child to school, lice-free and nit-free, within the specified length of time. The principal may authorize an extension of the excused absence period when conditions warrant.

The following guidelines shall be adhered to in the control of head lice in Cameron Parish Schools:

Any student found to have evidence of head lice infestation (either live lice or nits), shall be excluded from school.
The student shall be excluded from school until he/she has been treated with a pediculicide, and/or until all lice and nits have been removed from the hair.
Any student who is excluded from school because of lice infestation, must be accompanied by his/her parent, or by a responsible adult, when he/she returns to school.
The principal, or designated school personnel, trained by the school nurse to screen for lice, shall check the student's hair on his/her return to school, to ascertain that he/she is free of all lice and nits before the student is allowed to return to the classroom. If the student is not lice-free and nit-free, he/she shall return home with the parent or adult who brought him/her to school, to return as soon as he/she is lice-free and nit-free.
Any student excluded from school for lice infestation shall have an excused absence not to exceed two (2) calendar days per occurrence (not to exceed six (6) calendar days per school year), and shall be allowed to make up work on that basis. The principal may extend this time limit, if circumstances warrant.
Any student excluded from school for lice/nit infestation may only return to be rechecked by trained school personnel once per day during the designated time period set by each school.
More than two (2) occurrences of lice per school year may result in referral to Families in Need of Services (F.I.N.S.).

Revised: June, 1989

Revised: December, 1998

Revised: July, 2002

Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:81

Health and Safety, Bulletin 135, Louisiana Department of Education

Board minutes, 9-9-85, 5-8-89, 11-16-98, 7-8-02

Cameron Parish School Board