GAR: Communicable Diseases

Whenever an employee has been diagnosed by a physician as having a communicable disease as defined in current regulation, the employee shall report the diagnosis and nature of the disease to the superintendent or the superintendent's designee so that a proper reporting may be made to the county or joint board of health as required by current law.

An employee afflicted with a communicable disease dangerous to the public health may be excluded from district owned or operated property for the duration of the contagiousness in order to give maximum health protection to other school employees and to students.

The employee shall be allowed to return to duty upon recovery from the illness, when the employee is no longer contagious as authorized by the employee's physician or local health officer, or after the expiration of any period of isolation or quarantine.

The board reserves the right to require a written statement from the employee's physician or local health officer indicating that the employee is free from all symptoms of the communicable disease.

If a school employee has been diagnosed as having a communicable disease and the superintendent has been notified by the employee, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall determine whether a release shall be obtained from the employee's physician or local health officer before the employee returns to duty.

Decisions regarding the type of employment setting for an employee with a communicable disease shall be made by the superintendent or the superintendent's designee based upon consideration of the physical condition of the employee and the following factors:

• the nature of the risk;
• the duration of the risk;
• the severity of the risk; and
• the probability that the disease will be transmitted or cause harm to the employee or to others who will share the same setting.

No information regarding employees with communicable diseases shall be released by school personnel without the employee's consent except as allowed by state or federal law.

Additional Certifications of Health

If at any time the board has reason to believe that an employee is suffering from an illness detrimental to the health of pupils, the board reserves the right to require such employee to provide the board with a new certificate of health in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the school's students.