Board Policy GANA: Infectious Diseases

The DeKalb County Board of Education recognizes the importance of protecting the health and welfare of students, teachers, and other employees from the spread of infectious diseases, defined as illness due to an infectious agent, or its toxic products, that is transmitted directly or indirectly from an infected person or animal to another person. The District’s administrative regulations, procedures, and practices concerning infectious diseases should be consistent with the requirements of law, including the policies of the Georgia Board of Education, and should reflect current medical knowledge and research.

When a student or employee has or is a carrier of an infectious disease that may pose a substantial threat to the health or safety of the school community, or where the principal of the school, or the supervisor in the case of an employee, has a reasonable basis for suspecting that a student or employee has or is a carrier of such a disease, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall require a medical evaluation of the student or employee and notify the student’s parent or guardian, or the employee, of the need for a medical evaluation. The evaluation shall address the nature of the disease, the nature and extent of any threat it poses to the health or safety of the school community, measures that could be taken to eliminate or reduce any such threat, and any medical grounds for removing the employee from duty, removing the student from school, or otherwise restricting the individual’s attendance at school or work. The evaluation must be conducted either by the individual’s physician, by public health personnel, or by other medical experts selected by the Superintendent or his/her designee.

A student or employee whose medical condition poses a substantial threat to the health or safety of the school community or workplace may be removed from school or the workplace until the individual’s medical condition no longer poses such a threat. An appropriate alternative educational program may be made available to any student whose removal pursuant to this policy is expected to result in a prolonged absence from school or under other conditions required by law.

Operational decisions related to students and employees with infectious diseases—including removal of a student, readmission of a student, removal of an employee, or permitting the return of an employee—shall be made in conjunction with the school nurse or other District medical staff, state and/or local health agency representatives, healthcare professionals, and District administrators.

The medical information of a student or employee with an infectious disease, or of a student or employee who is HIV positive, shall not be disclosed without the consent of the employee, the student, or the student’s parent or guardian, whichever is appropriate, or as required by law or court order.

The District shall make readily available personal protective equipment, such as face masks and gloves, for staff who may be involved in a task with the potential for exposure to infectious diseases while on duty. All local school units shall use routine procedures consistent with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) universal precautions when handling blood and/or body fluids. All employees will receive annual training on the CDC universal precautions, and the Superintendent or his/her designee annually shall provide information, education, and training about infectious diseases to employees and students.

Cross reference: JGCC – Communicable Diseases (Students)