Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual issues - HIV Positive Children Must be Allowed t

HIV Positive Children Must be Allowed to Attend School Do you remember when Ryan White tried to attend public school in the 80's? Remember the media blitz and all the panic of the community? Parents and teachers were afraid to let HIV+ children attend public school. There was a fear that children with AIDS would somehow infect their healthy classmates. The truth is, AIDS is a disease which is not transmitted by casual contact. Normal play and interaction with HIV+ children is no threat to healthy children. So in recent years, fears have subsided and the policies of many school districts have changed. In Oklahoma for example, the Putnam City School District now allows HIV+ children to attend its schools. As a result of the District's decision, the people involved in the schools are reaping life-enriching benefits. First of all, the healthy children who attend Putnam City schools experience significant benefits by routinely interacting with classmates who have AIDS. Perhaps the most important benefit healthy children gain is they learn to fear the disease itself, not persons afflicted with it. Healthy children soon realize they can not only talk to but also study beside and even play with their AIDS infected classmates without fear. On the other hand, they clearly learn to fear the disease itself, for children who are friends with HIV+ children watch their friends slowly die. Christy's experience with her friend, Mark, is a typical example. Christy had known Mark since they were in kindergarten. Mark was a hemophiliac who had contracted AIDS at the age of seven via the clotting factor medication he had to take for his condition. When he was 11, Mark developed full-blown AIDS, and AIDS claimed him when he was only 15. Christ... ... and they are included in social activities beyond the school environment, such as going to the mall, the movies, and restaurants. These opportunities help the AIDS infected young people enjoy a happier life, even if it is tragically short. It is unquestionable that Putnam City School District's policy of allowing HIV+ children to attend their schools has benefited all involved. First, parents' fears that their healthy children would be in grave danger from casual contact with AIDS infected children have been proven false. Second, healthy children have gained a respectful fear of a deadly disease, a wisdom they probably would not have gained had they just been isolated from the horrors of AIDS. And finally, HIV+ children have taught their peers and adults alike that it is people who count, that all people need friends, and that all have the right to be educated. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual issues - HIV Positive Children Must be Allowed t HIV Positive Children Must be Allowed to Attend School Do you remember when Ryan White tried to attend public school in the 80's? Remember the media blitz and all the panic of the community? Parents and teachers were afraid to let HIV+ children attend public school. There was a fear that children with AIDS would somehow infect their healthy classmates. The truth is, AIDS is a disease which is not transmitted by casual contact. Normal play and interaction with HIV+ children is no threat to healthy children. So in recent years, fears have subsided and the policies of many school districts have changed. In Oklahoma for example, the Putnam City School District now allows HIV+ children to attend its schools. As a result of the District's decision, the people involved in the schools are reaping life-enriching benefits. First of all, the healthy children who attend Putnam City schools experience significant benefits by routinely interacting with classmates who have AIDS. Perhaps the most important benefit healthy children gain is they learn to fear the disease itself, not persons afflicted with it. Healthy children soon realize they can not only talk to but also study beside and even play with their AIDS infected classmates without fear. On the other hand, they clearly learn to fear the disease itself, for children who are friends with HIV+ children watch their friends slowly die. Christy's experience with her friend, Mark, is a typical example. Christy had known Mark since they were in kindergarten. Mark was a hemophiliac who had contracted AIDS at the age of seven via the clotting factor medication he had to take for his condition. When he was 11, Mark developed full-blown AIDS, and AIDS claimed him when he was only 15. Christ... ... and they are included in social activities beyond the school environment, such as going to the mall, the movies, and restaurants. These opportunities help the AIDS infected young people enjoy a happier life, even if it is tragically short. It is unquestionable that Putnam City School District's policy of allowing HIV+ children to attend their schools has benefited all involved. First, parents' fears that their healthy children would be in grave danger from casual contact with AIDS infected children have been proven false. Second, healthy children have gained a respectful fear of a deadly disease, a wisdom they probably would not have gained had they just been isolated from the horrors of AIDS. And finally, HIV+ children have taught their peers and adults alike that it is people who count, that all people need friends, and that all have the right to be educated.