No student shall be denied an education solely because of a communicable disease, and his/her educational program shall be restricted only to the extent necessary to minimize the risk of transmitting the disease.

In a school environment, we must be cautious about the spread of communicable diseases.  The Center for Disease Control recommends that every individual take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• If you are sick with flu symptoms, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.

Based on BP 620 and with respect to an infestation of pediculosis (lice), it remains the Board of Education’s duty to follow guidelines promulgated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  According to the CDC, students diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school. Those students can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after appropriate treatment has begun.

Neither the CDC nor the Board of Education will make recommendations as to what specific product or products should be used to treat students for lice infestation.  Both over-the-counter and prescription products are available. The Board of Education encourages parents to contact a doctor, pharmacist, or the health department for additional information about which products are recommended.

Before returning to school, parents of students diagnosed with live head lice must report some form of treatment to the building level principal or his/her designee.

Based on Board Policy 643 (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), students infected with HIV will not be denied enrollment in school. The Board will not prevent an HIV infected student from participating in the continuation of his/her education on the basis of HIV infection.

When a student in this school system has HIV or AIDS, the superintendent will convene an evaluation team composed of the student's parents/guardians, the student's physician if he/she elects to attend, a physician or nurse from the Public Health Department as designated by the regional health officer, and a representative of the local education agency as designated by the Superintendent. The evaluation team will evaluate and review the student's health status relative to attending school. The Superintendent will be responsible for requesting medical records from the parent/guardian and a statement from the student's physician regarding the health status of a student reported to have HIV/AIDS. In addition, the Superintendent will gather information regarding the student's cumulative school record. These records will be reviewed by the evaluation team. The team will assume responsibility for determining when a student's medical condition warrants the student's removal from the classroom. For any child determined as warranting removal from the classroom due to medical reasons, the school system will be responsible for determining the appropriate educational program for the child. The parent/guardian will be included as part of the local decision-making process. Because HIV/AIDS infection is a progressive disease, semi-annual medical and educational monitoring will be conducted by the evaluation team using the latest public health information.

No information concerning an HIV infected student will be divulged, directly or indirectly, to any other individual or group without the written consent of the parent/guardian. All medical information and written documentation of discussion, conversations, and proceedings will be kept by the superintendent in a locked file. If the HIV infected student is under the age of eighteen, access to this file will be granted only to those persons having written consent of the parent/guardian. Individuals will be informed of a student's HIV infection on a "need-to-know" basis, as decided by the evaluation with the written consent of the parent/guardian. No information will be released to the public identifying a student with HIV/AIDS.