NEPN/NSBA Code: JLCC 

COMMUNICABLE/INFECTIOUS DISEASES 

Teachers shall be alert to signs of illness and communicable disease and refer students who show such symptoms to the school nurse. 

The Superintendent/school nurse shall be responsible for notifying the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of any student suspected of having a communicable disease, the occurrence of which is required to be reported pursuant to law and/or Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) rules.

The building principal will be notified when a report of communicable disease has been made.

Any student for whom the CDC has prescribed isolation or quarantine shall be excluded from school and school activities. 

Students who have other types of communicable diseases shall be excluded from school and school activities as prescribed by law, or shall observe other protective procedures according to recommendations issued by the school physician/school health advisor/school nurse. 

The Superintendent is encouraged to consult with the school nurse if a teacher informs the Superintendent that they have reason to believe that a student is a public health threat due to a communicable disease.

A certificate from the student’s health care provider shall be required before a student who has had a “notifiable” communicable disease may return to school or participate in school activities. The building administrator and/or the school nurse must give permission before the student is readmitted to class. 

Legal Reference: 5 MRSA § 19201 et seq. 

20-A MRSA §§ 1001.11-A, 6301 

22 MRSA §§ 801, 802, 806, 823, 824 

Maine Dept. of Health and Human Services Rule Ch. 258 (2015)

Adopted: June 7, 2000 

Reviewed: September 24, 2012

Revised: May 13, 2024