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Managing Communicable Diseases and Students with Special Health Care Needs

Managing Communicable and
Contagious Diseases

Controlling the spread of communicable and contagious diseases within the schools has always been a problem faced by educators, the medical profession, and the public. Effective policies and procedures for managing such diseases in the schools have historically been developed by health agencies and implemented by the schools. These policies and procedures were primarily designed to manage acute, temporary conditions rather than chronic conditions that require continuous monitoring and remove children fr om interaction with other children while the condition is contagious or communicable.

Recent public awareness of chronic infectious diseases such as those with hepatitis B-virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and HIV have raised concerns necessitating the reassessment or at least clarification of school policies and procedures. T he Council believes that having a chronic infection does not in itself result in a need for special education. Further, The Council believes that schools and public health agencies should assure that any such infectious and communicable disease policies and procedures:

a.Do not exclude the affected child from the receipt of an appropriate education even when circumstances require the temporary removal of the child from contact with other children.

b.Provide that determination of a nontemporary alteration of a child's educational placement should be done on an individual basis, utilizing an interdisciplinary/interagency approach including the child's physician, public health personnel, the child' s parents, and appropriate educational personnel.

c.Provide that decisions involving exceptional children's nontemporary alterations of educational placements or services constitute a change in the child's Individualized Education Program and should thus follow the procedures and protections required.

d.Recognize that children vary in the degree and manner in which they come into contact with other children and school staff.

e.Provide education staff with the necessary information, training, and hygienic resources to provide for a safe environment for students and educational staff.

f.Provide students with appropriate education about infectious diseases and hygienic measures to prevent the spread of such diseases.

g.Provide, where appropriate, infected children with education about the additional control measures that they can practice to prevent the transmission of the disease agent.

h.Enable educational personnel who are medically at high risk to work in environments that minimize such risk.

i.Provide educational personnel with adequate protections for such personnel and their families if they are exposed to such diseases through their employment.

The Council believes that special education personnel preparation programs should:

a.Educate students about infectious diseases and appropriate methods for their management.

b.Counsel students about how to determine their level of medical risk in relation to certain diseases and the implications of such risk to career choice.

The Council believes that the manner in which policies for managing infectious diseases are developed and disseminated is important to their effective implementation. Therefore the following must be considered integral to any such process:

a.That they be developed through the collaborative efforts of health and education agencies at both the state, provincial and local levels, reflecting state, provincial and local educational, health, and legal requirements.

b.That provision is made for frequent review and revision to reflect the ever-increasing knowledge being produced through research, case reports, and experience.

c.That policies developed be based on reliable identified sources of information and scientific principles endorsed by the medical and educational professions.

d.That such policies be understandable to students, professionals, and the public.

e.That policy development and dissemination be a continual process and disassociated from pressures associated with precipitating events. (Chapter 03, Para. 19)

Students with SpecialHealth Care Needs

The Council for Exceptional Children believes that having a medical diagnosis that qualifies a student as one with a special health care need does not in itself result in a need for special education. Students with specialized health care needs are those who require specialized technological health care procedures for life support and/or health support during the school day. The Council believes the policies and procedures developed by schools and health care agencies that serve students with special he alth care needs should:

a.Not exclude a student from receipt of appropriate special education and related services.

b.Not exclude a student from receipt of appropriate educational services in the least restrictive environment.

c.Not require educational agencies to assume financial responsibility for noneducationally related medical services.

d.Define clearly the type, nature, and extent of appropriate related services to be provided and the nature of the appropriate provider.

e.Assure that placement and service decisions involve interdisciplinary teams of personnel knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of evaluation data, and placement options.

f.Promote a safe learning environment, including reasonable standards for a clean environment in which health risks can be minimized for all involved.

g.Provide assurance that health care services are delivered by appropriate and adequately trained personnel.

h.Provide appropriate medical and legal information about the special health care needs of students for all staff.

i.Provide appropriate support mechanisms for students, families, and personnel involved with students with special health care needs.

j.Provide appropriate and safe transportation.

The Council for Exceptional Children believes that special education personnel preparation and continuing education programs should provide knowledge and skills related to: (1) the nature and management of students with special health care needs; (2) exem plary approaches and models for the delivery of services to students with special health care needs; and (3) the importance and necessity for establishing support systems for students, parents/families, and personnel.Recognizing that this population of students is unique and relatively small, The Council for Exceptional Children still believes that the manner in which policies are developed and disseminated related to students with special health care needs is critica lly important to effective implementation. In development of policy and procedure for this low-incidence population, the following must be considered integral to any such process:

a.That it be developed through collaborative efforts of health and education agencies at state, provincial, and local level.

b.That it reflects federal, state, provincial, and local educational, health, and legal requirements.

c.That it provides for frequent review and revision of intervention techniques and programs as a result of new knowledge identified through research, program evaluation and monitoring, and other review mechanisms.

d.That policies are supported by data obtained from medical and educational professions.

e.That policy development is easily understandable by students, professionals, and the public at large.

f.That policy development and dissemination should be a continual process and disassociated from pressures associated with precipitating events. (Chapter 03, Para. 23)

The Council for Exceptional Children.
(1993). CEC Policy Manual, Section Three,part 1 (pp. 12-15).
Reston, VA: Author.
Originally adopted by the Delegate
Assembly of The Council for Exceptional
Children in April 1983.