School Health

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Information on a variety of school health topics which will provide schools with resources to maximize school health for youth.

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North Dakota state law requires students who are attending school to be up to date on immunizations.  North Dakota Century Code 23-07-17 mandates all students in kindergarten through 12th grade meet a minimum number of required immunizations prior to school entrance. 

All children must be up-to-date according to the school immunization requirements or have claimed an exemption by October 1st of each school year or they must be excluded from school. Children enrolling in school after October 1st have 30 days to be up-to-date or claim an exemption or they must be excluded from school. 

Please contact the North Dakota Department of Health Immunization Program at (701) 328-3386 or (800) 472-2180 with any questions or concerns regarding school immunizations.

Health Education

Physical Education

Mandated reporters are people whose profession requires them to report suspected child abuse or neglect.  In North Dakota, anyone may report suspected child abuse or neglect to Child Protection Services.  However, certain professionals must, by law, report child abuse or neglect - in other words, they are mandated reporters.  Schools are the primary places where children are seen every day by trained professionals who can observe their appearance and behavior. For this reason, educators are mandated reporters. 

In 2023, the Sixty-eighth Legislative Assembly passed House Bill 1144 which states that “ Each public and nonpublic school teacher, administrator, and counselor annually shall provide documentation to the Department of Public Instruction of the individual’s completion of the online interactive training module provided by the Department of Health and Human Services for mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect.” 

The documentation of completion will be in the form of an assurance statement.  

  1. MISO3 -  Annually all contracted professional educational staff members working in North Dakota schools are required to complete an MIS03.
  2. Annual Compliance Report - (completed by district administration) Annual report submitted to verify the school/LEA has met all the statutory requirements for school approval.

The requirement regarding the mandated reporter training has been added to both the nonpublic and public school reports. 

  • For nonpublic schools, it is located under 4) Safety Requirements (e): Each public and nonpublic school teacher, administrator, and counselor has completed the online interactive training module provided by the Department of Health and Human Services for mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect (HB 1144).  
  • For public schools, it is located under 5) Safety Requirements (e) Each public and nonpublic school teacher, administrator, and counselor has completed the online interactive training module provided by the Department of Health and Human Services for mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect (HB 1144).

*Districts may wish to develop their own procedures to track and record when staff has completed the required training, i.e., a spreadsheet with staff name and date of completion, certificates of completion on file in the office, etc.  

The Department of Health and Human Services has a statewide toll-free phone line for reporting cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. The number is 833-958-3500. It is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time, Monday - Friday. Callers should call 9-1-1 if a child is in immediate danger. 

The School Health Profiles is a biennial survey conducted by state education and health agencies among middle and high school principals and lead health education teachers assessing school health policies and practices.  Profiles monitors the current status of:

  • School health education requirements and content
  • Physical education and physical activity
  • Practices related to bullying and sexual harassment
  • School-based health services
  • School health coordination
  • Family engagement and community involvement
  • School health policies related to tobacco-use prevention and nutrition

General Information about School Health Profiles

Profiles Results

Universal Precautions in the School Setting

Reduce risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens by using universal precautions to prevent contact with blood and body fluids.

Begin by attending to the injured person: 

  • Whenever blood and body fluids are present, a barrier (latex rubber gloves, thick layer of paper towels, or cloth) should be used to minimize exposure of the attending person while the injury is cleansed and/or dressed.
  • Soiled clothes of the injured person must be bagged to be sent home,
  • Place waste in a plastic bag for disposal.
  • Remove gloves and dispose in plastic bag.
  • Thoroughly wash hands with soap.

Clean and disinfect environmental surfaces: 

  • Whenever cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces in which blood and body fluids are present, a barrier (rubber utility gloves durable enough to withstand environmental cleaning and disinfecting, thick layer of paper towels, or cloth) should be placed between the blood and the attending person.
  • Use disposable paper towels or other disposable materials to remove blood and body fluids.
  • Disinfect the affected area(s) and cleaning tools with a commercial disinfectant (mixed according to manufacturer’s specifications) or bleach solution (approximately 1/4 cup common household bleach per gallon of tap water, mixed fresh daily). The affected surface being disinfected should remain wet for several minutes.
  • Secure all waste in a plastic bag for disposal.

Clean up for attending person: 

  • Remove gloves, dispose and secure in a plastic bag.
  • Immediately apply soap. Thoroughly wash hands with soap by rubbing hands together (avoid scrubbing hands). Pay particular attention to fingertips, nails and jewelry. Rinse with fingers pointing downward.
  • If running water and soap are not immediately available, a waterless antiseptic cleaner or moist towelette may be used until hands can be thoroughly washed (use of antiseptic cleaner or towelette is NOT a substitute for handwashing). WASH HANDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

How to Make Universal Precautions Kits for Schools 

Universal precautions protect students and staff from the unnecessary exposure to disease. 

Supplies Needed For Kit 

  • Container for kit:  plastic container, tote tray, or fanny pack 
  • Large, re-sealable plastic bag
  • 4  single use, disposable, non-sterile gloves
  • 4 - 4x4 gauze squares
  • 6 assorted bandages
  • Absorbent paper towels
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (alcohol base of at least 60%)

Recommendations 

  • Keep one Universal Precautions kit in each classroom.
  • Each kit should be restocked after each use and reviewed annually for outdated materials.
  • One kit containing personal protective equipment (PPE) should be available at each school.  PPE may include:  gloves, gown, face shields or masks, eye protection and resuscitation bags or pocket masks for ventilation (CPR). 
  • A fanny pack of supplies should also be kept with playground attendants and bus drivers.

Topical Resources

Trainings