453.3

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL

Appleton Area School District (AASD) shall cooperate with state and local public health officials in establishing and maintaining appropriate health standards for the school environment, promoting the good health of students and staff, and educating students and staff in disease prevention methods and sound health practices. The administration shall ensure that AASD has written procedures that document requirements for reporting communicable disease information to public health agencies. AASD schools, other district facilities, or work locations may be closed for public health reasons by order of a public health officer, agency, or as determined to be necessary by the district administrator.

In an effort to maintain a safe and healthful school environment, AASD shall provide information to students and staff regarding measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting or transmitting communicable diseases at school and during school-related activities. AASD employees with occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious agents or materials, as well as any other employees who may be designated by the administration, shall receive specific training regarding the AASD’s Exposure Control Plan and will be expected to comply with the precautions and procedures identified in the plan and in the related training.

AASD students and employees may be excluded from school or the workplace (including school-related activities) if they are suspected of or diagnosed as having a communicable disease, including any disease expressly defi ned or identified as communicable by a public health agency, that poses a significant health risk to others or that renders them unable to adequately perform their jobs or pursue their studies. In some situations, exposure to or close contact with a source of a communicable disease may be sufficient to result in a temporary exclusion. Except as otherwise necessary to comply with a specific public health order or directive, such decisions will normally be made on an individualized basis and in consultation as needed with appropriate health care professionals, public health officials, and/or with reference to applicable public health standards. Students and employees excluded from school pursuant to this policy may appeal their exclusion as set forth in the administrative procedures implementing this policy.

AASD recognizes that an individual's health status implicates a variety of privacy interests. Therefore, AASD shall handle information regarding students and employees with suspected or confirmed communicable diseases in accordance with state and federal laws and board policies governing the confidentiality of student and staff health and medical records.

In connection with communicable disease management and with the purpose of mitigating any known and significant health risk, the District Administrator, or their administrative-level designee, is further authorized to exercise authority on behalf of the board regarding conditions or directives under which persons other than students and employees may be present at, or temporarily excluded from, AASD property or AASD-sponsored events or activities. Such other persons include, as examples, contractors, employees of contracted services, authorized volunteers, parents, and other visitors. Administrative directives and decisions affecting such persons that are related to communicable disease management shall be consistent with any directly applicable policies or directives established by the board and shall otherwise consider the potential relevance of the rules and standards that AASD applies to students and employees as well as such other information as may be reasonably available under the circumstances (e.g., applicable public health standards and/or information obtained from appropriate health care professionals or public health officials).

Cross References:
Student Records, 347
Head Lice/Nits In the School (Pediculosis), 453.31
Student Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan, 453.33

Legal References:
Wisconsin Statutes Section 103.15, 111.31, 115.01(10), 118.01(2)(d)2., 118.07(3), 118.125, 118.13, 118.15(3)(a), 118.195, 120.13(35), 121.02(1)(i), 146.81 – 146.83, 252.04, 252.15, 252.19, 252.21
Wisconsin Administrative Code DHS 144, 145, 145-Appendix A PI 8.01(2)(g) SPS 332.50

Federal Laws
29 C.F.R. 1910.1030 29 U.S.C. §794 et seq.[Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, prohibiting discrimination based on a qualifying disability; implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 104 and 28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart G] 42 U.S.C. §12111 et seq.[The Americans with Disabilities Act, Title I, as amended, prohibiting employment discrimination based on a qualifying disability; implementing regulations at 29 C.F.R. Part 1602 and Part 1630] 42 U.S.C. §12131 et seq.[The Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II, as amended, nondiscrimination based on disability by state and local governments; implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 35]

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Adoption Date: April 28, 2025

 

 

453.3-Rule

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL

A. Educational and Preventive Measures

1. The District, under the primary administrative responsibility and direction of the Executive Director of Student Services, will ensure that it obtains and appropriately retains records of all immunizations (or a related waiver) and health examinations/tests (e.g., tuberculin screening or test results) required of students and staff by law and Board policy.

a. The District Lead Nurse shall periodically review the District’s student immunization procedures and evaluate school-level compliance with relevant state statutes (including Chapter 252) and regulations (including Chapter DHS 144).

b. The human resources department shall have primary responsibility for ensuring that District employees complete all required physical examinations (including tuberculin screening or testing, as applicable).

2. The school nurse shall post or verify the posting of the Department of Health Services’ Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Diseases Chart at each school in at least the nurse/health office or other primary station/area that is designated for student health services. The chart is a non-comprehensive reference and general guide for school staff that includes information on selected diseases, including signs and symptoms, incubation periods, periods of communicability, modes of transmission, and control measures/public health responses.
3. First aid kits and other supplies and equipment appropriate for reducing the risk of transmission of communicable diseases in the school environment, as determined in consultation with public health officials and/or a health care professional serving the District, will be provided in each school building.
4. Information regarding suppression and control of communicable diseases will be included as a regular part of the District’s health curriculum for students.
5. The district shall ensure that student handbooks or other school-to-home communications inform parents and guardians of general expectations and standards for keeping students who are sick, or who are known or believed to be at risk of carrying or spreading a communicable disease, home from school (including avoiding in-person participation in school activities).
6. The District shall ensure that parents and guardians of students in the 7th grade receive information about meningococcal disease as mandated by state law.

B. Reporting Communicable Disease Information and Exposure Incidents
1. Except as otherwise directed by the District Administrator, each school’s principal shall function as the District's primary liaison with students and staff, parents and guardians, medical practitioners, public health officials and the community at large concerning communicable disease issues in any individual school. The Executive Director of Student Services shall normally serve as the primary liaison for any such issues arising on a District-wide basis or in connection with the District office or any District facility that is not directly part of a school’s physical premises.
2. Intra-District Reporting:

a. Any District employee, as well as any non-employee contracted service provider who works in any school or directly with students, who knows or suspects that a student, District employee, or other person who has been present in a school or other District facility has a communicable disease or that a communicable disease may be otherwise present in any such setting shall immediately report the information to the school principal or his/her designee. Other persons, including any parent, student, school volunteer, or visitor who knows or suspects that a communicable disease may be present in a school setting or in any other District facility, are strongly encouraged to report the information in the same manner as is outlined for school employees. Upon receiving a report under this paragraph, the relevant District official shall:

i. Promptly evaluate the relevant information for purposes of determining an appropriate response. The relevant official should seek clarifying information (e.g., from the subject of the report, a student’s parent or guardian, etc.) and confer with relevant subject matter experts (e.g., medical professionals, public health officials, etc.) as needed and to the extent circumstances permit.

ii. If the District Administrator has not already been notifi ed, notify the District Administrator of the situation no later than the point at which a decision is made to pursue external reporting (see below) or the point at which the official determines there is a reasonable probability that the District will need to formulate an incident-specifi c response.

b. Whenever any occupationally exposed employee, as defi ned above, or other person who has received training in the District’s Exposure Control Plan has an actual incident involving exposure to blood or other potentially infectious agents or materials, the person is expected to report the incident to relevant supervisors or administrators in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Exposure Control Plan.
3. Reports to Public Health Officials:

a. Pursuant to state law and as further outlined in this section, a teacher, school nurse, or principal of any school (or childcare center) who knows or suspects that a reportable communicable disease is present in a school (or center) is required to immediately notify a local public health officer. By policy, the District extends the external reporting responsibilities outlined in this section to the following additional positions: the District Administrator, the Chief Human Resources Officer , and the Executive Director of Student Services.

i. While a person who is subject to this reporting duty may consult with others to determine the need to make an external report and to coordinate the District’s report, such consultation and coordination shall not delay the making of a timely report once a reportable situation has been identified.

ii. The District encourages staff to attempt to coordinate such reports through a nurse serving the school or through the school principal, but such coordination may not be practical in all situations. No staff member will be disciplined for making a direct external report provided that the staff member also informs appropriate administrators within the District of the situation and the report.

iii. Any staff member who makes an external report shall ensure that at least the District Administrator and any relevant school principal are promptly notified of the submission of the report.

b. All known or suspected cases of a vaccine-preventable disease covered by a student vaccination mandate (i.e., as identifi ed in section 252.04(2) of the state statutes and/or in Chapter DHS 144 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code) which occur among students or staff shall be reported immediately by telephone to the local health department.

c. To the extent public health officials establish or modify external reporting procedures or expectations in response to a public health emergency (e.g., via a specific public health order, emergency regulation, or other similar directive), such additions or modifi cations shall supplement the expectations found in these procedures and, in the event of any confl ict, supersede these procedures.

d. Nuisance diseases, such as head lice, are not required to be reported to the local public health officer. However, a school nurse or school principal or their designee may contact public health officials for information about the prevention, control, and treatment of such diseases and request their involvement in addressing particular outbreaks.

C. Exclusion of Students from School
1. Students in any of the following situations shall be granted an excused absence from school until their presence, as ultimately determined by the District or any applicable public health order or directive, no longer poses an unacceptable threat to the health of themselves or others:

a. Any student who has been diagnosed as having a communicable disease that renders them unable to pursue their studies or that poses a signifi cant risk of transmission to others in the school environment, or any student who is in the process of seeking a diagnosis due to a reasonable concern or suspicion of having such a disease.

b. Any student who is subject to a public health order that excludes them from school. Notwithstanding the remainder of these procedures, a public health order that requires a student’s exclusion from school (including an order excluding non-vaccinated students from school following a substantial outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease) is sufficient, by itself, to justify an exclusion.

c. Any student who is subject to a District-issued directive related to a communicable disease that excludes the student from attending school.

2. Under state law, any nurse who is employed by or directly serving a school, or any school principal, may send a student home from school if the student is suspected of having a communicable disease or other disease that the Department of Health Services has specified by rule. The District Administrator is also authorized to make such a determination as a designee on behalf of any school principal. Under District procedures, teachers are normally expected to refer such issues to the school’s health staff and/or to the school principal for a decision unless such individuals are unavailable and there is a need for the teacher to make a decision in their absence.

a. Any District employee or nurse serving a school who sends a student home under the above authority shall immediately notify the student’s parent or guardian of the action and the reasons for the action. As soon as practicable, the District shall also notify the student’s parent or guardian of any specific terms or conditions on the student’s return to school. This information shall be noted in the health log.

3. A District decision to exclude a student from school (including any restrictions on a student’s participation in school-sponsored activities) beyond the current school day for reasons related to a communicable disease, including the duration and any other terms and conditions of such an exclusion, shall initially be made or expressly approved by the school principal or their administrative designee. The District Administrator or his/her administrative-level designee may also make or give fi nal approval to such a decision. Such decisions shall be based on all of the relevant facts and circumstances, giving appropriate consideration to information that may be provided by health care professionals and/or public health officials and to any applicable public health orders or standards that may be established by any authorized public health agency or official(s).

a. Any initial determination shall be revisited as soon as reasonably practicable if a student has been initially sent home or excluded from school as a health and safety measure, conditioned on the receipt of additional information. Similarly, any initial determinations shall be subject to reconsideration in the event of a material change in circumstances or due to the availability of new, material information. Such reconsideration may be initiated by the District or upon the request of the student’s parent or guardian.

b. If the administrator(s) charged with making a decision regarding exclusion from school determines that the need for exclusion or the appropriate duration or other terms or conditions of an exclusion are unclear or would otherwise benefi t from further expert input and analysis, such administrator(s) may refer the situation to a health care team. Members of such a team should be selected based on the specific circumstances, but may include individuals such as the relevant school administrator(s), any nurse serving the school, the District’s designated medical advisor, and/or any state or local public health official(s). Based on the individuals who are contacted/involved, District staff shall observe any legal limitations on the disclosure of personally-identifiable information or patient health care records. To the extent the cooperation of the individuals can be obtained, the student and/or the student’s parent or guardian and the student’s own health care provider(s) may be invited to provide relevant information or otherwise participate in the evaluation of the situation.

4. Any time a decision or order to exclude a student from school due to a communicable disease involves a student with a disability under either Section 504 or under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the District employees involved in the matter shall promptly inform the District’s lead administrator or coordinator for special education or Section 504, so that appropriate District personnel can evaluate the District’s obligations and options regarding any required notices, potential changes in placement, modifi cations to the student’s individualized education program (IEP) or section 504 plan, etc.
5. Any student who is excluded and excused from school attendance due to a communicable disease concern is entitled to at least the same opportunities to make up work as are available to other students with an excused absence. In addition, the student’s parent or guardian (or an adult student) may submit a request for particular program or curriculum modifications. Depending on the duration of the period of exclusion, the District may also affirmatively propose other alternative educational arrangements and opportunities for the student.
6. Following any incident or student absence from school that involves a concern about a communicable disease, the administration may require a statement from a public health official or from a qualified health care provider about a student’s suitability to return to school, if the matter warrants such a statement.

D. Applicability of these Procedures
1. The procedures above governing individualized decisions to exclude students and staff for reasons related to a communicable disease are not intended to apply:

a. In the event of the temporary closure of a school or any workplace due to a communicable disease concern, or

b. To an exclusion decision that the District Administrator or his/her administrative-level designee determines is necessary to comply with a public health order or directive and that applies to a defi ned class of employees or a defi ned group of students, regardless of any case-by-case, individualized circumstances.

2. In the event of a school or workplace closure or any non-individualized exclusion decision, as described above in this section, the District will make reasonable efforts to notify affected persons. In addition, a person affected by a non-individualized exclusion decision may appeal the decision using the appeal procedure included in these procedures (above) for students or employees, as applicable.
3. Nothing in these procedures prevents the administration from taking lawful and reasonable actions to exclude persons other than students and District employees from District property or District activities in order to address concerns with health and safety and the possible transmission of any communicable disease. For example, the administration may apply the decision-making procedures regarding the exclusion of District employees to contracted service providers and authorized District volunteers who are performing roles that are similar to roles that may otherwise be filled by a District employee.

Adoption Date: April 28, 2025