I. Policy

This policy complies with State Board of Community Colleges Code 1C SBCCC 200.94 (5), which requires all colleges to have a communicable disease policy.

II. Purpose of Policy

Central Piedmont Community College is committed to providing, to the extent possible, a healthy and safe educational and working environment for all students, employees, and visitors to campus. The purpose of this policy is to help prevent the spread of communicable disease through measures that focus on safety, prevention, and education, while prohibiting discrimination against persons afflicted with communicable diseases. In furtherance of this policy, the College will consider making reasonable accommodation to employees and students, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws, while simultaneously protecting the campus and public’s health. In turn, the College expects individuals who have been exposed, have symptoms of, or have contracted an illness or disease identified in this policy, to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with protocols established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), and protocols articulated by the public health agencies of the State of North Carolina and Mecklenburg County.

III. Definitions

Communicable Disease

A “communicable disease” is defined as any illness or condition that results from an infectious agent or its toxic products, transmitted directly or indirectly to a person from an infected person or animal, through the agency of an intermediate host or vector, or through the inanimate environment. Communicable diseases are spread via airborne viruses or bacteria, or through contact with human blood or other bodily fluids. In addition to viruses and bacteria, communicable disease pathogens include fungi and parasites. Often the terms infectious and contagious are used by the CDCP to describe a communicable disease.

Reportable Disease

A “reportable disease” is a communicable disease of unusual significance, incidence, or occurrence which may merit an epidemiological evaluation, and is of most importance from a public health perspective. These may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• COVID-19
• Influenza;
• Tuberculosis (TB);
• Infectious Mononucleosis;
• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS);
• Hepatitis A, B, C, and D;
• Meningitis;
• Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); and,
• Hemorrhagic fevers (including Ebola)

Communicable diseases are generally categorized according to how they are transmitted, as follows:

• Class A Communicable Diseases: Transmitted through casual contact
  • Examples include COVID-19, influenza, tuberculosis, infectious mononucleosis, meningitis, and MRSA
• Class B Communicable Diseases: Transmitted through exposure to blood or body fluids
  • Examples include AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, Hemorrhagic Fevers

IV. Policy Statement

If an employee or student has been exposed to or becomes infected with a communicable disease, they should first seek prompt medical diagnosis and advice, and implement the recommended treatment protocols in accordance with policies established by the appropriate physician and/or health agencies. Persons who know, or have reason to believe, they are infected with a reportable communicable disease have an obligation to conduct themselves in accordance with such knowledge in order to protect themselves and others.

Central Piedmont will not discriminate against individuals with communicable diseases and will take precaution to ensure that information about individual health conditions remains confidential, in accordance with FERPA, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and other federal, state, and local laws. The College will make all attempts not to exclude employees or students with communicable diseases from participation in or deny benefits from Central Piedmont’s services, programs, educational activities, or employment, but the College reserves the right to preclude individuals from participation if, in its determination with consideration of medical, legal, and safety recommendations, exclusion from work or class is necessary for public health and/or safety reasons.

Employees shall contact Human Resources and students shall contact Disability and Access Services with written documentation of diagnosis and/or treatment required from the medical provider to determine next steps. This will enable the College to explore the types of reasonable accommodation that may be recommended, consistent with the business needs of the department or College and applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Related Procedures

Communicable Disease Procedures and Guidelines

Changes

Changes approved by the Board of Trustees on January 14, 2015; May 6, 2020

Changes approved by Cabinet on July 12, 2010

Updated on June 4, 2004