Upon order of the Iowa Department of Health or local board of health, an individual with a suspected or active quarantinable disease shall not attend the workplace or school and shall not be present at other public places until the individual receives the approval of the department or a local board of health to engage in such activity. Upon order of the department or local board of health, employers, schools and other public places shall exclude an individual with a suspected or active quarantinable disease. An individual may also be excluded from other premises or facilities if the department or a local board of health determines the premises or facilities cannot be maintained in a manner adequate to protect others against the spread of the disease.
Students with a communicable disease will be allowed to attend school as long as they are physically able to perform the tasks assigned to them and as long as their attendance does not create a substantial risk of transmission of the illness or other harm to the students or the employees. The term "communicable disease" shall mean an infectious or contagious disease spread from person to person or animal to person or as defined by the State Department of Health.
A student will be excluded from school when the student's condition has been determined to be injurious to the health of others or when the student is too ill to attend school. The health risk to an immunosuppressed student attending school shall be determined by their personal physician. The health risk to others in the school environment from the presence of a student with a communicable disease shall be determined on a case by case basis by the student's personal physician, a physician chosen by the school district or public health officials.
Since there may be greater risks of transmission of a communicable disease for some persons with certain conditions than for other persons infected with the same disease, these special conditions, the risk of transmission of the disease, the effect upon the educational program, the effect upon the student and other factors deemed relevant by public health officials or the Superintendent/designee shall be considered in assessing the student's continued attendance at school. The Superintendent/designee may require medical evidence that students with a communicable disease are able to attend school.
A student and/or parent/guardian shall notify the Superintendent or the school nurse when they learn the student has a communicable disease. It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent or school nurse when they have knowledge that a communicable disease is present, to notify the State Department of Health. Rumor and hearsay shall be insufficient evidence for the Superintendent or school nurse to act.
Health information of a student is confidential and will only be shared with parental consent. The health information will be shared only with staff on a need-to-know basis.
It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent, in conjunction with the school nurse, to develop administrative regulations stating the procedures for dealing with students with a communicable disease. Appropriate hygienic practices shall be included in the administrative regulations.
*Revised: 03/21/94
*Reviewed: 04/08/02
*Reviewed: 01/15/07
*Revised: 12/13/10
*Revised: 11/12/12
*Revised: 09/18/17
*Revised: 05/11/20