Casual Contact Communicable Diseases and Pests (Control)

Because a school has a high concentration of people, it is necessary to take specific measures when the health or safety of the group is at risk. The school's professional staff has the authority to remove or isolate a student who has been ill or has been exposed to a communicable disease or highly transient pest, such as lice.

Specific diseases include Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever, Strep Infections, Whooping Cough, Mumps, Measles, Rubella, and other conditions indicated by the local and state health departments.

Any removal will be only for the contagious period as specified in the school's administrative guidelines.

Non-Casual Contact Communicable Diseases (Control)

In the case of non-casual contact communicable diseases, the school still has the obligation to protect the safety of staff and students. In these cases, the person in question will have his/her status reviewed by a panel of resource people, including the Richland County Health Department to ensure that the rights of the person affected and those in contact with that person are respected. The school will seek to keep students and staff persons in school unless there is definitive evidence to warrant exclusion.

Non-casual contact communicable diseases include sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), ARC-AIDS Related Complex, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), Hepatitis B, and other diseases that may be specified by the State Board of Health.

As required by Federal law, parents will be requested to have their child's blood checked for HIV and HBV when the child has bled at school and students or staff members have been exposed to the blood. Any testing is subject to laws protecting confidentiality.