507.3 COMMUNICABLE DISEASES - STUDENTS

Students with a communicable disease will be allowed to attend school provided their presence does not create a substantial risk of illness or transmission to other students or employees. The term "communicable disease" will mean an infectious or contagious disease spread from person to person, or animal to person, or as defined by law.

Prevention and control of communicable diseases is included in the school district's bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan. The procedures will include scope and application, definitions, exposure control, methods of compliance, universal precautions, vaccination, post-exposure evaluation, follow-up, communication of hazards to employees and record keeping. This plan is reviewed annually by the superintendent and school nurse.

The health risk to immunosupressed students is determined by their personal physician. The health risk to others in the school district environment from the presence of a student with a communicable disease is determined on a case-by-case basis by the student's personal physician, a physician chosen by the school district or public health officials.

A student who is at school and who has communicable disease which creates a substantial risk of harm to other students, employees, or others at school shall report the condition to the superintendent any time the student is aware that the disease actively creates such risk.

It is the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the school nurse, to develop administrative regulations stating the procedures for dealing with students with a communicable disease.

Legal Reference:

School Board of Nassau County v. Arline, 480 U.S. 273 (1987).

29 U.S.C. §§ 701 et seq. (2012).

45 C.F.R. Pt. 84.3 (2012).

Iowa Code ch. 139A.8

641 I.A.C. 1.2-.5, 7.

Cross Reference:

403.3 Communicable Diseases - Employees

506 Student Records 507 Student Health and Well-Being

Approved February 2007

Reviewed July 2021

Revised

507.3E1 COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CHART

CONCISE DESCRIPTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXCLUSION OF CASES FROM SCHOOL

DISEASE *Immunization is available	Usual Interval Between Exposure and First Symptoms of Disease	MAIN SYMPTOMS	Minimum Exclusion From School
CHICKENPOX	13 to 17 days	Mild symptoms and fever. Pocks are "blistery." Develop scabs, most on covered parts of body.	7 days from onset of pocks or until pocks become dry
CONJUNCTIVITIS (PINK EYE)	24 to 72 hours	Tearing, redness and puffy lids, eye discharge.	Until treatment begins or physician approves readmission.
ERYTHEMIA INFECTIOSUM (5^TH DISEASE)	4 to 20 days	Usual age 5 to 14 years – unusual in adults. Brief prodrome of low-grade fever followed by Erythemia (slapped cheek) appearance on cheeks, lace-like rash on extremities lasting a few days to 3 weeks. Rash seems to recur.	After diagnosis no exclusion from school.
GERMAN MEASLES* (RUBELLA)	14 to 23 days	Usually mild. Enlarged glands in neck and behind ears. Brief red rash.	7 days from onset of rash. Keep away from pregnant women.
HAEMOPHILUS MENINGITIS	2 to 4 days	Fever, vomiting, lethargy, stiff neck and back.	Until physician permits return.
HEPATITIS A	Variable – 15 to 50 (average 28 to 30 days)	Abdominal pain, nausea, usually fever. Skin and eyes may or may not turn yellow.	14 days from onset of clinical disease and at least 7 days from onset of jaundice.
IMPETIGO	1 to 3 days	Inflamed sores, with puss.	48 hours after antibiotic therapy started or until physician permits retune.
MEASLES*	10 days to fever, 14 days to rash	Begins with fever, conjunctivitis, runny nose, cough, then blotchy red rash.	4 days from onset of rash.
MENINGOCOCCAL MENINGITIS	2 to 10 days (commonly 3 to 4 days	Headache, nausea, stiff neck, fever.	Until physician permits return.
MUMPS*	12 to 25 (commonly 18) days	Fever, swelling and tenderness of glands at angle of jaw.	9 days after onset of swollen glands or until swelling disappears.
PEDICULOSIS (HEAD/BODY LICE)	7 days for eggs to hatch	Lice and nits (eggs) in hair.	24 hours after adequate treatment to kill lice and nits.
RINGWORM OF SCALP	10 to 14 days	Scaly patch, usually ring shaped, on scalp.	No exclusion from school. Exclude from gymnasium, swimming pools, contact sports.
SCABIES	2 to 6 weeks initial exposure; 1 to 4 days reexposure	Tinny burrows in skin caused by mites.	Until 24 hours after treatment.
SCARLET FEVER SCARLATINA STREP THROAT	1 to 3 days	Sudden onset, vomiting, sore throat, fever, later fine rash (not on face). Rash usually with first infection.	24 hours after antibiotics started and no fever.
WHOOPING COUGH* (PERTUSSIS)	7 to 10 days	Head cold, slight fever, cough, characteristic whoop after 2 weeks.	5 days after start of antibiotic treatment.

Readmission to School – It is advisable that school authorities require written permission from the health officer, school physician or attending physician before any pupil is readmitted to class following any disease which requires exclusion, not mere absence, from school.

507.3E2 REPORTABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES

While the school district is not responsible for reporting, the following infectious diseases are required to be reported to the state and local public health offices:

Acquired Immune	Leprosy	Rubella (German
Deficiency Syndrome	Leptospirosis	measles)
(AIDS)	Lyme disease	Rubeola (measles)
Amebiasis	Malaria	Salmonellosis
Anthrax	Meningitis	Shigellosis
Botulism	(bacterial or viral)	Tetanus
Brucellosis	Mumps	Toxic Shock Syndrome
Campylobacteriosis	Parvovirus B 19	Trichinosis
Chlamydia trachomatis	infection (fifth	Tuberculosis
Cholera	disease and other	Tularemia
Diphtheria	complications)	Typhoid fever
E. Coli 0157:h7	Pertussis	Typhus fever
Encephalitis	(whooping cough)	Venereal disease
Giardiasis	Plague	Chancroid
Hepatitis, viral	Poliomyelitis	Gonorrhea
(A,B, Non A-	Psittacosis	Granuloma Inguinale
Non-B, Unspecified)	Rabies	Lymphogranuloma
Histoplasmosis	Reye's Syndrome	Venereum
Human Immunodeficiency	Rheumatic fever	Syphilis
Virus (HIV) infection	Rocky Mountain	Yellow fever
other than AIDS	spotted fever
Influenza	Rubella (congenital
Legionellosis	syndrome)

Any other disease which is unusual in incidence, occurs in unusual numbers of circumstances, or appears to be of public health concern, e.g., epidemic diarrhea, food or waterborne outbreaks, acute respiratory illness.

NOTE: Be sure to mail the appropriate copies to both the state and local public health offices. School districts must submit a report weekly if there are cases of mumps, chicken pox, erythema infectiosum, gastroenteritis, influenza-like illnesses and if the number is greater than 10 percent of the school district's enrollment.

507.3E3 REPORTING FORM

Source: Iowa Department of Public Health (1997).

REPORT THE FOLLOWING DISEASES IMMEDIATELY BY TELEPHONE (1-800-362-2736)

Botulism		Poliomyelitis	Yellow Fever
Cholera		Rabies (Human)	Disease outbreaks of
Diphtheria		Rubella	any public health concern
Plague		Rubeola (measles)
REPORT ALL OTHER DISEASES BELOW.				WEEK ENDING
See other side for list of reportable infectious diseases.
DISEASE	PATIENT				COUNTY OR CITY	DOB	SEX
	Name Parent (If applicable)
	Address
	Attending Physician
	Name Parent (If applicable)
	Address
	Attending Physician
	Name Parent (If applicable)
	Address
	Attending Physician
	Name Parent (If applicable)
	Address
	Attending Physician
	Name Parent (If applicable)
	Address
	Attending Physician

Reporting Physician, Hospital, or Other Authorized Person

Address

Remarks:

FOR SCHOOLS ONLY: Report over 10% absent only. Total enrollment:
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
No. Absent
% of Enrollment
REPORT NUMBER OF CASES ONLY Chickenpox Gastroenteritis Erythema infectiosum (5^th Disease Influenza-like illness (URI)

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