Communicable Disease Policy for Students
Wayne Community College is committed to assuring that all necessary training and precautions are taken with regard to communicable diseases. The Biohazard Exposure Control Plan within the Occupational Safety and Health Plan and the Pandemic and Communicable Disease Preparedness and Response Plan of Wayne Community College reflect our efforts to ensure the good health and safety of all employees and students. The College adopts this communicable disease policy for students in an effort to control communicable diseases and the threat of pandemics on campus based upon established rules and regulations of the N.C. Division of Health Services. Employees and employees of contractors or contracted services infected with a communicable disease have the responsibility of reporting this fact to the Director of Human Resources. Students infected with a communicable disease have the responsibility of reporting this fact to the Associate Vice President of Academic and Student Services or the Associate Vice President of Continuing Education, as appropriate.
Communicable disease means an illness due to an infectious agent or its toxic products which is transmitted directly or indirectly to a person from an infected person or animal through the agency of an intermediate animal, host, or vector, or through the inanimate environment [N.C.G.S. 130A-2(1c)]. Communicable Disease shall include, but is not be limited to, those diseases listed in 10A NCAC 41A .0101 as well as those diseases contributing to an outbreak as declared by either the local health department or the Centers for Disease Control. Examples of communicable diseases include: Coronavirus, Chickenpox, Mononucleosis, Conjunctivitis, Hepatitis A, B and D, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), AIDS-related complex (ARC), positive HIV antibody status, Influenza, Measles, Meningitis, Tuberculosis, Pertussis, and sexually transmitted diseases. See inclusive list in North Carolina Administrative Code 10A NCAC 41A .0101. Persons who are infected with a communicable disease are expected to seek expert medical advice and are encouraged to advise local health authorities. Local health authorities should offer counseling to these persons about measures that can be taken to prevent the spread of infection and to protect their own health.
Persons who know, or have a reasonable basis for believing, that they are infected with a communicable disease have an ethical and legal obligation to behave in accordance with such knowledge to protect themselves and others. Medical information relating to the communicable disease of a student or employee will be disclosed to responsible College officials only on a strictly limited need-to-know basis. All medical information relating to the communicable diseases of students and employees will be kept confidential in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws.
If a student reports a communicable disease condition, the student may be excluded from the institution until an appropriate evaluation of the student’s medical condition can be made. The evaluation may be made by a physician or a health department official and testing may be required if appropriate. Students in any Allied Health program may have additional requirements, as specified in each program’s student handbook; therefore, these students should report all suspected communicable diseases.
The final determination of a student’s ability to remain in school will be made by the Vice President of Academic and Student Services or Associate Vice President of Academic and Student Services based upon professional medical evaluation results and recommendations. If a student is found to have a communicable disease, then the attendance of the student on campus or at any College activity will be prohibited until a satisfactory letter or certificate is obtained from one or more licensed physicians or public health officials stating that the student is not a health risk to employees and other students at the College.
The College’s Biohazard Control Plan defines guidelines that will be followed in the event of an accidental exposure to bodily fluids or biohazards. Any such student exposure should be reported immediately to the first available WCC employee and to the Director of Student Activities & Recruitment. An Incident Report Form must be completed for all accidental student exposures to biohazards.