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5141.2 Illness

NORTHFIELD CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION FILE CODE: 5141.2

Northfield, New Jersey X Monitored

X Mandated

Policy X Other Reasons

ILLNESS

When students are taken suddenly ill in school, they shall be sent or escorted to the nurse’s office. If the nurse is not in the medical office, the student shall be sent or taken to the building principal’s office. In general, the same procedures that apply to accidents shall apply to sudden student illness. The Superintendent, in cooperation with the school physician, shall implement this policy.

Control of Contagious Diseases or Conditions

In order to protect the health of the students in our schools, all regulations of the state department of education, the state department of health and the local board of health shall be scrupulously observed, particularly those dealing with contagious or infectious diseases or conditions. Students who have been absent because of contagious or infectious diseases or conditions must present a certificate of recovery from a licensed physician or be examined by the school physician.

The school nurse shall observe students who show evidence of communicable disease and recommend their exclusion to the school principal. Recommendations shall be consistent with reporting requirements on communicable diseases as set forth in the New Jersey Health Code. Such students shall be isolated in the nurse’s office until a parent/guardian picks them up, and any necessary measures have been taken to prevent spread of the infection. The school nurse, under the direction of the school physician, shall instruct all teachers in the symptoms of the most common diseases or conditions at least once a year.

Any student with HIV infection or AIDS or who lives with or is related to someone with HIV or AIDS shall not be excluded from general education, transportation services, extracurricular activities, athletic activities, assigned to home instruction or classified as eligible for special education because of the HIV infection. The school nurse shall recommend the exclusion of any individual with weeping skin lesions that cannot be covered.

In addition to the review of health and safety measures required by law, the school nurse shall individually instruct teachers from whose classrooms a student has been excluded in the symptoms of the disease for which the student was excluded. Student rights and confidentiality shall be protected in accordance with law. No teacher shall attempt to diagnose any illness of a student, but shall refer suspected cases to the nurse immediately.

Handling Blood and Body Fluids

The Superintendent and school physician shall develop detailed routine procedures based on New Jersey administrative code and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control for proper handling of blood and body fluids resulting from illness/accidents in the schools. These procedures shall be disseminated to all district staff and volunteers.

The school physician shall report all cases of communicable disease to the local board of health as required by law.

NJSBA Review/Update: November 2009; December 2010; July 2020; March 2023

Adopted: October 24, 2011

Key Words

Illness, Sickness, Body Fluids

Legal References: N.J.S.A. 18A:16‑6 Indemnity of officers and employees against civil actions

N.J.S.A. 18A:16‑6.1 Indemnity of officers and employees in certain criminal actions

N.J.S.A. 18A:40‑3 Lectures to teachers

N.J.S.A. 18A:40‑7 Exclusion of students who are ill

N.J.S.A. 18A:40‑8 Exclusion of students whose presence is detrimental to health and cleanliness

N.J.S.A. 18A:40‑10 Exclusion of teachers and students exposed to disease

N.J.S.A. 18A:40‑11 Exclusion of students having communicable tuberculosis

N.J.S.A. 18A:40‑12 Closing schools during epidemic

N.J.S.A. 18A:40-25 Boards of education to provide nursing care to students in nonpublic schools

N.J.S.A. 26:4‑6 Prohibiting attendance of teachers or students

N.J.S.A. 26:4‑15 Reporting of communicable diseases by physicians

N.J.S.A. 26:5C-1 et seq. AIDS Assistance Act

N.J.S.A. 26:2T-1 Newly diagnosed Hepatitis C case; information, reports

N.J.A.C. 6A:16-1.1 et seq. Programs to Support Student Development

See particularly:

N.J.A.C. 6A:16-1.3, -1.4,

-2.1 et seq.

N.J.A.C. 8:57-1.1 et seq. Reportable Communicable Diseases

See particularly:

N.J.A.C. 8:57‑1.3, -1.7, -2

N.J.A.C. 8:61‑1.1 Attendance at school by students or adults infected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Plainfield Board of Education v. Cooperman, 105 NJ 587 (1987)

Possible

Cross References: *1410 Local units

*4112.4 Employee health

*4131/4131.1 Staff development; inservice education/visitations/conferences

*4212.4 Employee health

*5113 Absences and excuses

*5125 Student records

*5131.6 Drugs, alcohol, tobacco (substance abuse)

*5141 Health

*5141.1 Accidents

*5141.4 Child abuse and neglect

*5200 Nonpublic school students

*6142.13 HIV prevention education

*Indicates policy is included in the Critical Policy Reference Manual.

 

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