CEP CEP Health, Safety & Emergency Procedures 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student in your classroom suddenly begins having a tonic-clonic seizure. What is the FIRST action a paraprofessional should take?
- Clear the area of hard or sharp objects and protect the student's head (Correct answer)
- Restrain the student's limbs to prevent injury
- Insert something soft between the student's teeth
- Immediately call 911 before doing anything else
Correct answer: Clear the area of hard or sharp objects and protect the student's head
During a seizure, the paraprofessional should first clear the surrounding area of hazards and cushion the student's head to prevent injury.
Question 2: Which federal law requires schools to have an Individualized Health Plan (IHP) for students with chronic medical conditions?
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Correct answer)
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Correct answer: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires schools to provide accommodations, including health plans, for students with chronic medical conditions.
Question 3: A student has a severe peanut allergy and begins showing signs of anaphylaxis. The paraprofessional should FIRST:
- Administer the student's prescribed epinephrine auto-injector per the emergency plan (Correct answer)
- Give the student water and have them sit down calmly
- Call the student's parents before taking any other action
- Wait to see if symptoms resolve on their own
Correct answer: Administer the student's prescribed epinephrine auto-injector per the emergency plan
Anaphylaxis is life-threatening; the immediate response per the student's emergency action plan—typically administering the epinephrine auto-injector—must happen first.
Question 4: What does the term 'universal precautions' mean in a school setting?
- Treating all blood and bodily fluids as potentially infectious regardless of the source (Correct answer)
- Applying the same academic standards to every student
- Using the same behavior intervention for all students
- Providing every student with the same health screening
Correct answer: Treating all blood and bodily fluids as potentially infectious regardless of the source
Universal precautions is an infection-control approach that treats all human blood and certain bodily fluids as if they are infectious.
Question 5: A paraprofessional notices a student has a bruise pattern inconsistent with an accidental fall. What is the appropriate next step?
- Report the observation to the supervising teacher or designated school official immediately (Correct answer)
- Confront the student's parents at pickup to ask what happened
- Document the observation privately and monitor the student for two more days
- Do nothing because it is not the paraprofessional's role to make such judgments
Correct answer: Report the observation to the supervising teacher or designated school official immediately
Paraprofessionals are mandated reporters in most states and must immediately report any reasonable suspicion of child abuse to the appropriate school official.
Question 6: When a fire alarm sounds during class, the paraprofessional's PRIMARY responsibility is to:
- Assist the teacher in evacuating all students, including those with mobility needs, according to the school's emergency plan (Correct answer)
- Stay inside to gather student belongings before evacuating
- Call the office to confirm whether it is a drill before acting
- Lead the evacuation independently without waiting for the teacher
Correct answer: Assist the teacher in evacuating all students, including those with mobility needs, according to the school's emergency plan
Paraprofessionals must follow the school's established emergency evacuation plan, working with the teacher to ensure all students—especially those with special needs—exit safely.
CEP CEP Health, Safety & Emergency Procedures 1
A student in your classroom suddenly begins having a tonic-clonic seizure.
What is the FIRST action a paraprofessional should take?