FILE:  GAMF

Cf:  JGCC

EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Monroe City School Board recognizes that the district’s mission to treat each student as a unique individual is enhanced by an environment which promotes the personal health and professional development of district employees.  The productivity of employees are, in turn, affected by the personal and professional development of the individuals within the organization.

The school district shall facilitate, encourage, nurture, and promote opportunities to increase the skill level, knowledge, health and personal and professional development of each employee.  The school district recognizes that an employee’s level of physical, mental, emotional, social and occupational functioning affects and is affected by his or her health and performance.

The school district encourages each employee to develop and maintain an attitude of self-care and responsibility for his or her own health and well-being. 

EMPLOYEE HEALTH

The School Board recognizes the importance of protecting the health and welfare of students, teachers, and other employees of the educational system from the spread of communicable diseases.  The transfer of certain diseases by contact with body fluids may pose a health risk to students, teachers and employees.  Therefore, decisions regarding the type of educational and care setting for an infected person should be based on the behavior, neurologic development, and physical interaction with others in that setting.  The risk in the school setting should also be considered since children may have a greater risk of encountering infectious agents in a school setting than at home.

The Monroe City School Board believes that most human problems can be dealt with successfully provided they are identified during the early stages and referral is made to a helping resource.  The Board therefore promotes an attitude of assistance and support towards solving human personal problems or other concerns which may affect job performance.

It is imperative that the school system respect the infected individual’s right to privacy; therefore, knowledge that a child or an employee has a communicable disease should be confined to those persons who have a direct need to know.  Those persons should be provided with appropriate information and should be made aware of the requirements of confidentiality; however, as with any contagious disease, the public health department may be notified.

HANDLING BODY FLUIDS IN SCHOOL

All personnel shall be required to follow specific guidelines in the handling of body fluids in the school setting as included in the Universal Health Procedure Handbook.  While the risk of infection may be low, contact with body fluids shall be minimized.  Every employee shall be acquainted with the necessary requirements for minimizing contact with body fluids.  Employees who do not use all precautions outlined in the guidelines for handling body fluids may be subject to disciplinary action.  An employee having contact with any body fluids shall make a complete written report of the incident and submit it to the Superintendent or his or her designee.

Ref:    20 USC 1400-1482 (Education of Individuals with Disabilities)

Health and Safety, Bulletin 135, Louisiana Department of Education

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:436, 17:437

Monroe City School Board