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Board reviews health, volunteer and transportation policy updates and hears first reading of OT clinical MOU
Summary
Trustees reviewed four policy updates aligning district practice with state guidance — infectious-disease procedures, anaphylaxis standing orders (House Bill 1608), volunteer background checks, and transportation rules tied to Senate Bill 5891 — and heard a first reading of a five-year MOU to host OT interns with the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences.
District staff presented four policy updates and a first reading of an internship agreement at the Meridian School District board meeting on Dec. 4.
Speaker 5 introduced a five-year memorandum of understanding with the University of Saint Augustine for Health Sciences to allow the district to host occupational-therapy interns and potentially other allied-health placements (physical therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing). The item was a first reading and informational; board members may bring questions before final approval.
On health policies, staff described updates to Policy/Procedure 34.14 (infectious disease/infection) and 34.20 (anaphylaxis prevention) that align with WASDA guidance and recent state action. The anaphylaxis update reflects House Bill 1608: "the Secretary of Health must issue statewide standing orders... for epinephrine auto injectors" so districts may maintain a supply for trained staff to use in suspected anaphylaxis, staff said. The policy also adds dairy to the list of life-threatening allergies and clarifies that health plans for students with life‑threatening conditions will be shared with necessary staff. Board members asked about the shelf life and cost of epinephrine; staff said prescriptions must be renewed yearly and the district will bear costs for supplies.
On volunteers, Policy 5005 was revised to clarify background checks: guest speakers and volunteers will receive a Washington State Patrol name check, while those with unsupervised access to students must complete an FBI fingerprint-based check. Staff described the change as a clarification to remove ambiguous double‑negative language.
Transportation Policy 6600 was updated to reflect Senate Bill 5891, which makes trespassing on a school bus a criminal offense; the policy also includes optional placards if funding is available. Staff recommended adjusting the transportation walking radius language from 1 mile to 1/2 mile to align with RCW/WAC standards, though the district noted it currently has no walk-area designation in most neighborhoods.
All items were presented for review; board members asked clarifying questions but did not take final votes on these policy updates at the meeting.
