Illinois Community Colleges place a high priority on the need to prevent the spread of chronic communicable diseases on their campuses.  Danville Area Community College is committed to educating its staff, students and the community about communicable diseases.  By adopting this policy, it is the intention of the College to promote the health and regular school attendance of our students so that they may attain their maximum potential for learning.

Students With Communicable Diseases

Students who have an identified chronic communicable disease or are a carrier of a communicable disease shall be provided an opportunity for an appropriate education unless they constitute a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of other individuals.

A student’s participation in College may be limited only when a student with an identified chronic communicable disease or who is a carrier poses a direct threat or a significant risk to the health or safety of other individuals.  Placement decisions will be made using current available public health department guidelines concerning the particular disease in question.  Individual cases will not be prejudged; rather, decisions will be made based upon the facts of the particular case and shall be a shared health management decision involving the student’s physician, public health personnel, the student and/or student’s parent or guardian if a minor, Director of Human Resources, and the Dean of Student Services.  The determination of whether the student may attend College shall be based upon the following factors:

1. The risk of transmission of the disease to others.
2. The health risk to the particular student.
3. Reasonable accommodations which can be made without undue hardship to reduce the health risk to the student and others.
4. The educational benefits of a less restrictive placement versus the educational detriments of a more restrictive placement.

 The College shall respect the right to privacy of any student who has a chronic communicable disease or is a carrier of a chronic communicable disease.  The student’s medical condition shall be disclosed only to those individuals with a direct need to know, as determined by the health management teams and applicable by law.

Employees With Chronic Communicable Diseases                                                           

Employees who have an identified communicable disease or are a carrier of a chronic communicable disease shall be provided an opportunity for continued employment unless they constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals.

Employees with identified chronic communicable diseases or identified as carriers shall be permitted to retain their positions whenever, through reasonable accommodations of the employee’s physical condition and without undue hardship to the employer, there is no direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of other individuals.  Such employees shall remain subject to the Board’s employment policies, including, but not limited to the current collective bargaining agreement in effect, sick leave, physical examinations, temporary and permanent disability and termination. 

Employment decisions will be made by utilizing the general legal standard in conjunction with current, available health department guidelines concerning the particular disease in question.  Individual cases will not be prejudged; rather, decisions will be made based upon the facts of the particular case.  The determination of an employee’s continued employment status shall be a shared health management decision involving the employee’s physician, public health personnel, the employee and/or employee’s parent or guardian if a minor, and the Director of Human Resources (health management team).

*The health management team shall include:

For the students:

The student’s physician, public health personnel, the student and/or the student’s parent or guardian if a minor, the Dean of Student Services, and the Director of Human Resources.

For the employee:

The employee’s physician, public health personnel, the employee and/or employee’s parent or guardian if a minor, and the Director of Human Resources.

Glossary:

Identified – As communicated directly by the individual, not hear-say or rumor

Chronic Communicable Disease – Long term recurring illness

Employee – Any individual, full or part time, receiving payment for services performed for the College

Public Health Department – Vermilion County Health Department