On Wednesday, March 25, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) published the following broadcast memo highlighting new rules on Surveillance for Infectious Conditions (SIC) reporting:
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has formally adopted new rules codifying the requirement for schools to report Surveillance for Infectious Conditions (SIC) data through the Communicable Disease Reporting and Surveillance System (CDRSS). School districts that have expanded preschool access programs are encouraged to include those numbers weekly.
Additional information regarding communicable disease prevention and reporting is available via the NJDOH Communicable Disease Service website and the New Jersey Department of Education’s Communicable Disease Prevention and Reporting website.
On-demand SIC training is available for school users through the NJDOH. Surveillance data should be entered each week, even if there are no outbreaks or absences to report at the school for the reporting period. Reporting is required when school is in session, including summer programming and extended school year.
Weekly aggregate reporting into the SIC module does not replace the need for schools to notify their local health department when they become aware of illness clusters or possible outbreaks. Schools should notify their local health department and report the outbreak in the SIC module during the appropriate reporting week.
As a reminder, the NJDOH previously issued a letter to educational and childcare administrators clarifying legal obligations related to the release of student and staff information during public health investigations. Pursuant to state law and regulations (N.J.S.A. 26:1A-1 et seq.; N.J.A.C. 8:57- 1.1), institutions are required to provide necessary information, including the names of affected individuals, dates of illness onset, number of individuals ill, and any other information requested by the local health officer or the NJDOH.
For questions, email CDS.SIC.RPT@doh.nj.gov.
