Pa. School Refuses to Admit HIV+ 13-Year-Old Honor Student

[edfu]

In 2011 A.D.

Happy World AIDS Day  .

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/health/Hershey-School-HIV-Lawsuit-Boy-134802368.html

[mecch]

Sad


communicable disease: an infectious disease transmissible (as from person to person) by direct contact with an affected individual or the individual's discharges or by indirect means (as by a vector)

Milton Hershey School released a statement Wednesday saying in part that “in order to protect our children in this unique environment, we cannot accommodate the needs of students with chronic communicable diseases that pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others.”

Either they are stupid about risks.   The only risk being unprotected sex by this boy in the boarding school.  And one would wonder anyway, he probably is on HAART.  

Or they are worried about reputation.   And lawsuits if by chance the boy is not on HAART and does manage to have unprotected sex and does manage to transmit on campus....

How lame o is all this?

Hope he wins the lawsuit but maybe he'd be better off at an esteemed institution that isn't so damn dumb and medieval, since he's so intelligent.

[madbrain]

Or they are worried about reputation.

Too late for them to be worried about that.
Ryan White passed away 21 years ago, apparently this school learned nothing.

[bufguy]

The School will lose. ADA prohibits them from accepting the student based on HIV if he meets all the other requirements for admission. His status does not rquire them to lower standards or perform substantive changes to the program or the facilities.
My guess the family will get a monetary settlement and move on.

It's cases like this that make me so disappointed in ignorance and a feeling like we have so far to go.
Whenever I think about disclosure, it's cases like this that send me back to the shadows.

[buginme2]

The School will lose. ADA prohibits them from accepting the student based on HIV if he meets all the other requirements for admission.

This is absolutely correct.  U.S. law clearly prevents discrimination based solely on HIV status.  They need to look up the term "Reasonable accomodation"

[Dennis]

Not only has this school violated Title III of the ADA, they are also violating other federal laws such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). All of which gives students with HIV or any other disability to participate in classes and activities without the imposition of unnecessary restrictions or conditions.

[Miss Philicia]

You know, there's a very good reason that this part of the state is called Pennsyltucky.

Between Paoli and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania is Alabama without the blacks. They didn't film The Deer Hunter there for nothing -- the state has the second-highest concentration of NRA members, behind Texas

-- James Carville, 1992

[mecch]

The kid should get a settlement and go to Hot Kiss (Hotchkiss) 

[Valmont]

Discriminations based on HIV is one think I just cannot understand........  30 years after knowing this virus and everything about the way it is transmited, TV spots, show with singers, aso works and so on...

Are there similar discriminations for having Hep C, cancer, diabete or even Syphilis???

I just can´t understand you some people work sometimes...  This makes me so sad, really sad for the poor way these people treat other, for their ignorance and hysteric phobia...

[tednlou2]

ABC News covered the story tonight on World News.  The school will lose this case.  They play audio of the boy and read an email he sent to ABC.  My heart goes out to this young kid having to deal with this kind of rejection and discrimination so early in his life.   

http://abcnews.go.com/US/hiv-positive-student-discusses-denial-admission-hershey-school/story?id=15074075