Notifiable infectious disease cases in a school or kura
All state and state-integrated schools and kura are responsible for the physical and emotional safety of their students and staff.
It’s important to be prepared for the possibility that a member of your school community may contract a notifiable infectious disease (such as measles, whooping cough, or COVID-19).
Keep reading to find out more.
What are notifiable infectious diseases?
Some serious diseases pose a threat to public health.
They are subject to legal requirements for surveillance, control, and follow-up, and may include public health measures such as contact tracing.
All notifiable diseases are listed in Schedule 1 of the Health Act 1956open_in_new.
How should you prepare for these cases?
Section 30 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015open_in_new requires boards to manage risks as much as is reasonably practicable.
This is done by ensuring the school has procedures in place to manage any identified workplace risks, including any potential or actual outbreaks of communicable diseases.
The determination of what procedures will be put in place to minimise and control the risk is normally delegated to your principal.
Your board should seek assurance that the principal has a plan and processes in place for managing any suspected notifiable disease cases (should they occur).
Note: the requirement for primary schools to maintain an immunisation register was revoked in January 2026. The Ministry of Health now uses the centralised Aotearoa Immunisation Register to track the immunisation status of individuals.
What should you do when you get a notifiable case?
Follow the advice and guidance provided by the Ministry of Education and the Medical Officer of Health (MOH).
This may include identification of close contacts (both staff and students) and requiring those with no record of immunisation to stay at home.
The MOH has the power to manage notifiable infectious diseases on a case-by-case basis.
Under section 77 of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new, your principal also has the power to preclude a student if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the student may have a communicable disease.
If this occurs, your principal must notify the student’s parent(s) or caregiver(s), your board (generally via the presiding member), and the MOH as soon as practicable.
What is your board’s responsibility if the principal precludes a student?
Under section 77(3) of the Education and Training Act 2020open_in_new, your board must investigate any preclusion of a student for health reasons as soon as practicable.
After investigating, your board must either:
- Cancel the preclusion, or
- Confirm that the student should stay precluded until the board has received a certificate from a medical practitioner stating that the student is well enough to be back in school.
Once your board has received the medical certificate, the preclusion can be lifted. Responsibility for this should be delegated to the principal.
Your board needs to be mindful of the privacy of the individuals involved and to ensure it protects the identity of the individual and their immediate contacts as much as possible.
Note: We suggest that your board rely on the MOH investigation to validate the principal’s decision to preclude and to determine the duration of the student’s preclusion.
What happens to the leave entitlements of a staff member who has been asked to isolate?
If an eligible staff member has been diagnosed with a notifiable infectious disease and is directed to isolate, they can request that their sick leave be disregarded.
The staff member will then be paid for the duration of their isolation and not lose any sick days.
Principals managing these staff situations can contact us for advice.
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