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HIV Policy
Policy #5155
Guidelines for providing education to children with HIV and for employees infected with HIV are based on the most current information available and may need to be changed as new information is obtained.
a. All children in Vermont have a right to an education. As a general rule a student with AIDS or infected with HIV virus should attend school in a regular classroom setting with the approval of the student’s physician and should be eligible for all opportunities and services provided by law and local school district policy.
b. The school nurse should function as the liaison with the student’s parents, the student’s physician, the Department of Health, and the school. The responsibility of the school nurse would be to insure that the student is able to function in school without unnecessary impediment.
c. The school should respect the right to privacy of the individual student. Knowledge that a student is infected with HIV virus or has AIDS should be confined to those persons with direct need to know (i.e. superintendent, principal, school nurse, student’s teachers). In consultation with the student and his/her parents/guardians, those persons should be provided with appropriate information concerning such precautions as may be necessary and should be made aware of the confidential nature of this information.
Under the following circumstances an HIV infected student might pose risk of transmission to others:
d. If the student lacks toilet training, has open sores that cannot be covered, or demonstrated behavior (i.e. biting) which could result in direct inoculation of potentially infected bodily fluids into the bloodstream.
1. Following a discussion with the student and his/her parents, if any of these circumstances
exists, the appropriate person (school nurse, student’s physician, Department of Health
official) must determine whether a significant risk of transmission exists.
2. If it is determined that a significant risk exists, the student shall be removed from the
classroom.
e. An infected student may be temporarily removed from the classroom for reasons stated in D. If this occurs, the school shall develop, within ten (10) school days, either an appropriate school program adjustment or an appropriate alternative education program. When the appropriate person (school’s medical advisor, nurse, student’s physician, Department of Health official) determines that the risk has abated, the student can return to the classroom.
f. Each removal of an infected student from normal school attendance shall be reviewed by the appropriate person (school nurse, child’s physician, Department of Health official) at least once every month to determine whether the condition precipitating the removal has changed.
g. A student with AIDS or more mild immunodeficiency associated with HIV virus, as with any other immune deficient student, may need to be removed from the classroom for his/her own protection when cases of measles or chicken pox are occurring in the school population. This decision should be made by the students physician and parent/guardian in consultation with the appropriate person(school nurse, student’s physician, Department of Health official).
h. Routine and standard procedures should be used to clean up after a student has had an accident or injury at school. Blood or other bodily fluids emanating from any student should be treated cautiously. Gloves should be worn when cleaning up blood spills. These spills should be disinfected with either bleach or another disinfectant, and persons coming into contact with them should wash their hands afterwards. Blood soaked items should be placed in leak proof bags for washing or further disposition. Similar procedures are recommended for dealing with vomit or fecal or urinary incontinence in any student. Hand washing after contact with a student is routinely recommended only if physical contact has been made with the student’s blood or body fluids including saliva.
I. There is no known risk of transmission of HIV or AIDS from teacher or other school employees to student or co-workers under usual circumstances in the school setting. School employees known to be infected with HIV should not be restricted form working solely on the basis of this finding. Employees infected with HIV should not be restricted from using telephones, office equipment, toilets, showers, eating facilities, and water fountains. Equipment contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids of any worker should be cleaned with soap and water or detergent. Disinfection practices discussed in section “H” for students infected with HIV would apply here as well.
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