115C-323. Employee health certificate.

(a) Any person initially employed in a public school or reemployed in a public school after an absence of more than one school year shall provide to the superintendent a certificate certifying that the person does not have any physical or mental disease, including tuberculosis in the communicable form or other communicable disease, that would impair the person's ability to perform his or her duties effectively. A local board or a superintendent may require any school employee to take a physical examination when considered necessary.

Any public school employee who has been absent for more than 40 successive school days because of a communicable disease shall, before returning to work, provide to the superintendent a certificate certifying that the individual is free from any communicable disease.

(b) One of the following individuals shall prepare any certificate required under this section:

(1) A physician licensed to practice in North Carolina.

(2) A nurse practitioner approved under G.S. 90-18(14).

(3) A physician's assistant licensed to practice in North Carolina.

(c) Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, in the case of a person initially employed in a public school, any of the following who holds a current unrestricted license or registration in another state may prepare the certificate so long as evidence of that license or registration is on the certificate:

(1) A physician.

(2) A nurse practitioner.

(3) A physician's assistant.

(d) The certificate shall be prepared on a form supplied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The certificate shall be issued only after a physical examination has been conducted, at the time of the certification, in accordance with rules adopted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with approval of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. These rules may require an X-ray chest examination for all new employees of the public school system.

(e) It shall be the duty of the superintendent of the school in which the person is employed to enforce the provisions of this section. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.