Cut
Bank School District
STUDENTS 3417
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Communicable
Diseases
The District is
required to provide educational services to all school age children who reside
within its boundaries. Attendance at
school may be denied to any child diagnosed as having a communicable disease
which could make the child's attendance harmful to the welfare of other
students. In the instance of diseases
causing suppressed immunity, attendance may be denied to a child with
suppressed immunity in order to protect the welfare of the child with
suppressed immunity when others in the school have an infectious disease which,
although not normally life threatening, could be life threatening to the child
with suppressed immunity.
The Board
recognizes that communicable diseases which may afflict students range from
common childhood diseases, acute and short‑term in nature, to chronic,
life‑threatening diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infection. The District shall rely on
the advice of the public health and medical communities in assessing the risk
of transmission of various communicable diseases to determine how best to
protect the health of both students and staff.
Management of
common communicable diseases will be in accordance with Montana Department of
Health guidelines and communicable diseases control rules. A student who exhibits symptoms of a
communicable disease which is readily transmitted in the school setting may be
temporarily excluded from school attendance.
Students who
complain of illness at school may be referred to the school nurse or other
responsible person designated by the Board and may be sent home as soon as the
parent or person designated on the student's emergency medical authorization
form has been notified.
The District
reserves the right to require a statement from the student's primary care provider
authorizing the student's return to school.
In all proceedings related to this policy, the District shall respect
the student's right to privacy.
When
information is received by a staff member or volunteer that a student is
afflicted with a serious communicable disease, the staff member or volunteer
shall promptly notify the school nurse or other responsible person designated
by the Board to determine appropriate measures to protect student and staff
health and safety. The school nurse or
other responsible person designated by the Board, after consultation with and
on the advice of public health officials, shall determine which additional
staff members, if any, have need to know of the affected student's
condition.
Only those
persons with direct responsibility for the care of the student or for
determining appropriate educational accommodation will be informed of the
specific nature of the condition if it is determined there is a need for such
individuals to know this information.
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Parents of
other children attending the school may be notified that their child has been
exposed to a communicable disease without identifying the particular student
who has the disease.
Note: For purposes
of this policy, the term "communicable disease" refers to the
diseases identified in 16.28.202, ARM, Reportable Diseases, with the exception
of common colds and flu.
Legal
Reference: 16.28.101, et seq,
ARM Communicable Disease
Control
Policy History:
Adopted on:
Revised on: