(a) The school administrator shall exclude from attendance any child having or suspected of having a communicable condition. Exclusion shall continue until the readmission criteria for the conditions are met. The conditions and readmission criteria are as follows:
  (1) amebiasis--exclude until treatment is initiated;
  (2) campylobacteriosis--exclude until after diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medications and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (3) chickenpox--exclude until the lesions become dry or if lesions are not vesicular, until 24 hours have passed with no new lesions occurring;
  (4) common cold--exclude until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (5) conjunctivitis, bacterial and/or viral--exclude until permission and/or permit is issued by a physician or local health authority or until symptom free;
  (6) coronavirus disease 2019--exclude and readmit based upon guidance from the Department of State Health Services on its website at https://dshs.texas.gov/covid19readmission;
  (7) fever--exclude until fever free for 24 hours without use of fever suppressing medications;
  (8) fifth disease (erythema infectiosum)--exclude until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (9) gastroenteritis--exclude until diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medications;
  (10) giardiasis--exclude until diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medications;
  (11) hepatitis A--exclude until one week after onset of illness;
  (12) infections (wounds, skin, and soft tissue)--exclude until drainage from wounds or skin and soft tissue infections is contained and maintained in a clean dry bandage; restrict from situations that could result in the infected area becoming exposed, wet, soiled, or otherwise compromised;
  (13) infectious mononucleosis--exclude until physician decides or fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (14) influenza--exclude until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (15) measles (rubeola)--exclude until four days after rash onset or in the case of an outbreak, exclude unimmunized child for at least 21 days after the last date the unimmunized child was exposed;
  (16) meningitis, bacterial--exclude until 24 hours after start of effective treatment and approval by health care provider;
  (17) meningitis, viral--exclude until fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (18) meningococcal infections (invasive disease)--exclude until 24 hours after start of effective treatment and approval by health care provider;
  (19) mumps--exclude until five days after the onset of swelling;
  (20) pertussis (whooping cough)--exclude until completion of five days of appropriate antibiotic therapy, or until 21 days have passed since cough onset, whichever is earlier;
  (21) ringworm--none, if infected area can be completely covered by clothing or a bandage, otherwise exclude until treatment has begun;
  (22) rubella (German measles)--exclude until seven days after rash onset or in the case of an outbreak, unimmunized children should be excluded until at least three weeks after the onset of the last rash;
  (23) salmonellosis--exclude until diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medications and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (24) scabies--exclude until treatment has begun;
  (25) shigellosis--exclude until diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medications and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (26) streptococcal sore throat and scarlet fever--exclude until 24 hours from time antibiotic treatment was begun and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications;
  (27) tuberculosis disease (suspected or confirmed), pulmonary or laryngeal--exclude until antibiotic treatment has begun and a physician's certificate or health permit obtained; and
  (28) typhoid fever-exclude until diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea suppressing medications and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever suppressing medications; and 3 consecutive stool specimens have tested negative for Salmonella Typhi.
(b) The school administrator shall exclude from attendance any child having or suspected of having a communicable disease designated by the Commissioner of the Department of State Health Services (commissioner) as cause for exclusion until one of the criteria listed in subsection (c) of this section is fulfilled.
(c) Any child excluded for reason of communicable disease may be readmitted, as determined by the health authority, by:
  (1) submitting a certificate of the attending physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant attesting that the child does not currently have signs or symptoms of a communicable disease or to the disease's non-communicability in a school setting;
  (2) submitting a permit for readmission issued by a local health authority; or
  (3) meeting readmission criteria as established by the commissioner.

Source Note: The provisions of this §97.7 adopted to be effective March 16, 1994, 19 TexReg 1453; amended to be effective December 20, 2000, 25 TexReg 12426; amended to be effective June 5, 2007, 32 TexReg 2997; amended to be effective November 3, 2009, 34 TexReg 7650; amended to be effective December 20, 2012, 37 TexReg 9777; amended to be effective April 20, 2014, 39 TexReg 2853; amended to be effective April 3, 2016, 41 TexReg 2317; amended to be effective January 26, 2022, 47 TexReg 85