Universal Precautions & Wellness Policy

Universal Precautions & Parent Notification of Blood-Borne Pathogens

The school will use precautions when handling potential exposure to blood, including blood containing body fluids and tissue discharges, and when handling other potentially infectious fluids. The OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) model exposure plan will be used. Our staff has completed Blood Borne Pathogens Training.

Parent Notification

Dear Parent: We recently have been notified by the Federal government that the District is subject to new regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to restrict the spread of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immune deficiency virus (HIV) in the workplace. These regulations are designed to protect employees of the District who are, or could be, exposed to blood or other contaminated bodily fluids while performing their job duties.

Because of the very serious consequences of contracting HBV or HIV, the District is committed to taking the necessary precautions to protect both students and staff from its spread in the school environment. Part of the Federally-mandated procedures include a requirement that the District request the person who was bleeding to consent to be tested for HBV and HIV. This information would then be provided both to the exposed employee and the treating physician to determine proper medical treatment.

The law does not require parents or guardians to grant permission for the examination of their child's blood, but it does require the District to request that consent. Although we expect that incidents of exposure will be few, we wanted to notify parents of these requirements ahead of time. That way, if the situation does develop you will understand the reason for our request and will have had an opportunity to consider it in advance. These are serious diseases, and we sincerely hope that through proper precautions and cooperation we can prevent them from spreading.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the central office.

Student Well Being/ District Wellness Policy

Student safety is a responsibility of the staff. All staff members are familiar with emergency procedures such as fire, lock down and tornado drills and accident reporting procedures. Should a student be aware of any dangerous situation or accident, s/he must notify any staff person immediately.

State law requires that all students must have an emergency medical card completed, signed by a parent or guardian, and filed in the School office. A student may be excluded from school until this requirement has been fulfilled.

Students with specific health care needs should deliver written notice about such needs along with proper documentation by a physician, to the School Office.