Stevensville School District

PERSONNEL

Staff Health

Medical Examinations

Through its overall safety program and various policies pertaining to school personnel, the Board will promote the safety of employees during working hours and assist them in the maintenance of good health.  The Board will encourage all its employees to maintain optimum health through the practice of good health habits.

The Board may require physical examinations of its employees, under circumstances defined below.  The District will maintain results of physical examinations in medical files separate from the employee’s personnel file and will release them only as permitted by law.

Physical Examinations

The District participates in a Pre-Placement Physical Program for all custodial and maintenance personnel and other positions deemed inclusive of this policy as determined by specific Board action.  Subsequent to a conditional offer of employment in a position for which the District may require participation in a pre-placement physical, but before commencement of work, the District may require an applicant to have a medical examination and to meet any other health requirements which may be imposed by the state.  The District may condition an offer of employment on the results of such examination, if all employees who received a conditional offer of employment in the applicable job category are subject to such examination.  If approved by personnel services, an employee may be allowed a thirty-(30)-day grace period beginning from the date of employment to obtain the required medical examination.  The report shall certify the employee’s ability to perform the job-related functions of the position for which the employee is being considered.  Such examination shall be used only to determine whether the applicant is able to perform with reasonable accommodation job-related functions pursuant to P.L. 101-33C, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

All bus drivers, whether full-time, regular part-time, or temporary part-time, are required by state law to have a satisfactory medical examination before employment.

Communicable Diseases

If a staff member has a communicable disease and has knowledge that a person with compromised or suppressed immunity attends the school, the staff member must notify the school nurse or other responsible person designated by the Board of the communicable disease which could be life threatening to an immune-compromised person.  The school nurse or other responsible person designated by the Board must determine, after consultation with and on the advice of public health officials, if the immune-compromised person needs appropriate accommodation to protect their health and safety.

An employee with a communicable disease shall not report to work during the period of time in which the employee is infectious.  An employee afflicted with a communicable disease capable of being readily transmitted in the school setting (e.g., airborne transmission of tuberculosis) shall be encouraged to report the existence of the illness so that precautions may be taken to protect the health of others.  The District reserves the right to require a statement from an employee’s primary care provider, before the employee may return to work.

Confidentiality

In all instances, District personnel will respect an individual’s right to privacy and treat any medical diagnosis as confidential information.  Any information obtained regarding the medical condition or history of any employee will be collected and maintained on separate forms and in separate medical files and will be treated as confidential information.  Only those individuals with a legitimate need to know (i.e., those persons with a direct responsibility for the care of or for determining workplace accommodation for the staff person) will be provided necessary medical information.

Supervisors and managers may be informed of necessary restrictions on the work or duties of an employee and necessary accommodations.  First aid and safety personnel may be informed, when appropriate, if a staff member with a disability might require emergency treatment.

Legal Reference:
29 U.S.C. 794, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
29 CFR, Section 1630.14(c)(1)(2)(3)
42 U.S.C. 12101, et seq. Americans with Disabilities Act
Title 49, Chapter 2, MCA Illegal Discrimination
Title 49, Chapter 4, MCA Rights of Persons with Disabilities
20-10-103(4), MCA School bus driver qualifications
ARM 16.28.1005 Employee of School – Day Care Facility Care Provider
ARM 37.111.825 Health Supervision and Maintenance

Policy History:
Adopted on: February 12, 2002
Revised on: September 9, 2008