Challenges in HIV/AIDS Education: Implementing a Program Placing the HIV Positive Child into the Classroom.

This presentation transcript discusses the roles of schools and the public following the enrollment of ten elementary and secondary school students who have AIDS in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The processes used to allow the children to enter or re-enter the classroom with minimal conflict are discussed. Since the opportunities for transmission of the virus are negligible during the school day, the public needs to know that extraordinary measures are not required to protect students and that the afflicted students need not be identified. The writer recommends that public meetings be held off school grounds to move focus away from the school and to allow for peripheral issues surrounding AIDS, such as adolescent sexual activity and drug use. School staff also have concerns, particularly about their risk of exposure, and teachers and administrators must be prepared to discuss the issue. Six figures highlight points made in the presentation. (RJM)