Policy 5120 Implementation Procedures - Communicable Diseases – Prevention and Control

Students who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or to economic hardship, or due to a similar reason; living in motels, hotels, transitional housing, or campgrounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; living in emergency or transitional shelters; abandoned in hospitals; are runaways, living in shelters or other inadequate accommodations; or awaiting foster care placement.

Students who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

Students who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

Migratory students as defined under federal law who qualify as homeless because they are living in the circumstances above.

The following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids where it is difficult/impossible to differentiate between body fluids.

Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead).

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, HIV or Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.

Biological parent – A natural parent whose parental rights have not been terminated.

Adoptive parent – A person who has legally adopted the student and whose parental rights have not been terminated.

Custodian – A person or agency appointed by the court as the legal custodian of the student and granted parental rights and responsibilities.

Guardian – A person who has been placed by the court in charge of the affairs of the student and granted parental rights and responsibilities.

Caregiver – An adult resident of Howard County who exercises care, custody, or control over the student but who is neither the biological parent nor legal guardian, as long as the person satisfies the requirements of the Education Article, §7-101 (c) (Informal Kinship Care) or has been issued a U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Verification of Release form entering into a custodial arrangement with the federal government.

Foster parent – An adult approved to care for a child who has been placed in their home by a state agency or a licensed child placement agency as provided by the Family Law Article, §5-507.

Hand washing will be included in the Health Education Disease Prevention and Control Unit wherever it is included in the curriculum.

School health employees will provide up-to-date information on proper hand washing techniques to school administrators/designees.

School administrators will be responsible for implementing hand washing procedures and encouraging students, employees, service providers and volunteers to follow proper hand washing techniques.

Appropriate PPE will be determined by the Office of Safety and Security and the Office of Health Services.

PPE will be provided by the respective office/department.

General work clothes, e.g., uniforms, pants, shirts and blouses are not considered to be personal protective equipment. The level of protection required is determined by the nature of the tasks being performed.

All buildings be maintained and cleaned on a regular basis.

All departments are responsible for implementing procedures for maintaining and cleaning related to the activities conducted.

All departments will implement appropriate cleaning schedules for the maintenance of their locations.

The Office of Health Services, in collaboration with the Office of Safety and Security will be responsible for annual training to review standard precautions.

School administrators and department supervisors are responsible for ensuring that professional development occurs annually for their employees.

The Office of Health Services will develop and distribute to all school administrators an annual immunization memo which describes the current immunization requirements from the MDH.

School administrators will follow current immunization requirements and procedures as outlined in the Requirements and Procedures for School Health Services Manual and in the current memo regarding immunization requirements.

School administrators will not knowingly admit a student, or retain a student who does not meet the immunization requirements as defined in COMAR 10.06.04. Principals may temporarily admit students who present an appointment date (not to exceed 20 calendar days) to obtain missing immunization records or receive needed immunizations.

Students of active military families, entering a Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) school from certain recognized states, who do not have the required immunization records may be eligible to have 30 calendar days to comply with the requirements instead of 20 calendar days.

Homeless students cannot be denied entry into school. Pupil Personnel Workers, in collaboration with Health Services employees, will provide assistance to obtain required documentation for immunization and compliance.

The school administrator/designee will monitor student absenteeism and will report a ten percent absentee rate or suspected outbreaks to the Office of Health Services as soon as it occurs and subsequently on a daily basis.

The Health Services Specialists will monitor these absentee rates and will consult with the HCHD where there is an increase in the number of schools reporting high absentee rates and/or suspected outbreaks.