District 100 Knowledge Base (Admin and Clerical)

    7.280 AP Managing Students with Communicable and Infectious Diseases

    Students
    Administrative Procedure - Managing Students with Communicable or Infectious Diseases
    If a student’s communicable or infectious disease affects his or her ability to participate in the District’s educational programs, he or she shall be treated as a disabled person under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, unless the student has already qualified for and is receiving services through an IEP under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act. For students with an IEP, the District’s administrative procedure, 6:120-AP1, Special Education Procedures Assuring the Implementation of Comprehensive Programming for Children with Disabilities, must also be followed and it will control whenever there is a conflict with these procedures.

    Rules and guidance from the Ill. State Board of Education (ISBE) and Ill. Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) should be consulted and supersede these procedures. Guidance documents and important information include:
    1. Communicable Disease School Nurse Guide, revised 2023, available at
    dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/diseases-and-....
    1. Management of Chronic Infectious Diseases in Schoolchildren, revised in 2003 by ISBE and IDPH, available at wordpress.uchospitals.edu/infectionprevention/files/201....
    2. The Department of Public Health Powers and Duties Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois (20 ILCS 2310/) and the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois (20 ILCS 2105/) both expanded the statutory authority of the governor and IDPH to respond to significant threats to the public health.
    Managing Students with Communicable or Infectious Diseases
    ActorAction
    Parents/GuardiansNotifies the Building Principal where their child is enrolled if their child has a communicable or infectious disease. See exhibit 7:280-E2, Reporting and Exclusion Requirements for Common Communicable Diseases, for a list of communicable or infectious diseases.

     
      Building Principal or designee    		Upon having knowledge of a known or suspected case or carrier of a communicable disease:
    1. Notifies the local health authority as required by 77 Ill.Admin.Code §690.200. The local health authority is a full-time official health department, as recognized by IDPH, having jurisdiction over a particular area, including city, village, township, and county boards of health. If there is not a local health authority recognized by IDPH, the local health authority is IDPH. 77 Ill.Admin.Code §690.10. See also exhibit 7:280-E2, Reporting and Exclusion Requirements for Common Communicable Diseases, identifying the diseases for which there is mandatory reporting. Note: The Communicable Disease Report Act, 745 ILCS 45/, grants immunity from slander or libel to persons who in good faith make such reports.
    2. Follows directions for temporarily excluding a student from school according to the local health authority direction and 77 Ill.Admin.Code Part 690.
    Keeps the school open where a student with a communicable disease attends, except in the event of an emergency. 77 Ill.Admin.Code §690.30(c)(1).

      District staff    		Observes all rules of IDPH regarding communicable and chronic infectious disease. See the Legal References below for a list of these rules.
    Collects and maintains the student’s medical information in a manner that ensures the strictest confidentiality and in accordance with federal and State laws regarding student records. Consult with the Board Attorney to ensure compliance with such laws.[1] 77 Ill.Admin.Code 690.30(c)(5).

      Superintendent or designee    		Confirms that all required and appropriate notices are made. [2]
    Convenes the Communicable and Chronic Infectious Disease Review Team. This Superintendent committee is composed of the District’s medical advisor, a school nurse, the Building Principal, and the Superintendent or designee (see administrative procedure 2:150-AP, Superintendent Committees).

      Communicable and Chronic Infectious Disease Review Team    		Arranges a meeting with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s), personal physician, local health authorities, as well as persons with knowledge of the placement options available. The purpose of the meeting is to:
    1. Determine when an excluded student will return to school. This determination shall be based on whether the student poses a high risk of transmission of a communicable and chronic infectious disease to other students and staff. A student suspected of being infected with a notifiable disease for which isolation is required shall be refused admittance until fever-free and diarrhea and vomiting-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing, antidiarrheal, or antiemetic medications and other medications. 77 Ill.Admin.Code §690.30(c)(2).
    2. Perform a pre-placement evaluation. 34 C.F.R. §104.35.
    3. Make a placement decision based on the pre-placement evaluation. The placement decision shall include any needed related services. 34 C.F.R. §104.35.
    4. If there is a reason to believe that the student may have a disability requiring special education and related services, the child shall be referred for a special education evaluation. Referrals may also be made, at any time, by any concerned person, including but not limited to District personnel, the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s), a community service agency employee, a professional having knowledge of a child’s problems, a child, or an ISBE employee. See the District’s Special Education Procedures Assuring the Implementation of Comprehensive Programming for Children with Disabilities.[3] 23 Ill.Admin.Code §226.110.
    Reports the meeting results to the Superintendent.
    [1] IDPH regulations provide that, "Identifiable information on a student or staff [member], such as name and contact information (including current address and phone), seating charts on [buses] and in the classroom, and rosters for extracurricular activities, shall be reported to the Department or local public health authority for any notifiable disease or condition within the timeframes specified in this Part." 77 Ill.Admin.Code §690.30(c)(5). Consult with the board attorney to ensure that any reports required by this provision to IDPH or the local public health authority comply with federal and State laws regarding student records.
    [2] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes sample letters to parents available for certain infectious diseases, such as measles and pertussis, on its website at cdc.gov.
    [3] Sample Special Education Procedures Assuring the Implementation of Comprehensive Programming for Children with Disabilities are available at: iasb.com/law/icsaspeced.cfm.

    Updated: March 2024