HIV+ children in our schools

[Dom Tuk]

is there any authority that keeps track of how many HIV+ children are in schools. How will they find out who is and who isnt. Are parents happy to have HIV+ children in the same classrom as your child. What about rough and tumble playground games....with the possibility of blood and fluids being exchanged. Has anyone shown any concern for this issue.

[Ray the DJ]

The chances of anyone contracting HIV from a child who graizes his knee in the playground extremely unlikely.
Anyone with HIV (especialy children) should be protected from bigotted folk who start witchhunts and rumours that have no credibility.
Imagine what would happen to child if other kids found out they had HIV or any other serious illness.  Their lives would be made unbearable with tawning and bullying.

[Hgrove]

I have a six year old child but I had never thought it necessary to worry about this.  There are other things I worry about more, for ex. I know of one case (not my own child) who has been bullied by another child and the school failed to separate the two when they went into year one...  But in my experience children do not draw each other's blood during playground games.  The teachers would separate them before they get to that stage.  Once or twice my daughter fell and grazed her knee but she did so "in isolation" so there was no possibility of exchanging fluids with another child.  In  my opinion, the trip to school is more dangerous (cars etc.), or a trip to a children's farm is more dangerous than an hiv positive class mate.

[mr. piper]

in a pickle gave a wonderfully frank and informative answer. i aplaud his honesty and intent to reassure.

[arthurstace]

What issue? How many schoolchildren in the UK do you think are HIV positive and having unprotected sex or sharing syringe needles? Or perhaps you imagine them indulging in acts of vampirism?

I would be interested to hear some of your other opinions, Dom Turk. Where do you stand on religion, homosexuality, the Daily Mail and rap music?

[rojash]

Well said, Pickle and BarryMonkey

[Dom Tuk]

I know of many many children whose only basis of being allowed to remian in this country is that they are HIV+ and claim that it is a breach of their human rights to be send back to their country of origin as they cannot get the relevant treatment there. They are in our schools. The LEA does not know that this is the basis of their stay

[arthurstace]

Dom Tuk - are you personally acquainted with these "many, many children", or do you have accesse to Home Office statistics and suchlike on the subject?

[keen2learn]

Dear Dom Tuk, I endorse everything In a Pickle said. Try looking at it through the other end of the telscope; if your child was HIV+ve, how would you feel if he/she, assuming they were well enough to attend school, became the subject of a witch-hunt; treated as a pariah because of a vanishingly minute theoretical risk? There are worse risks to your schoolchild - turn your apprehensive gaze on the paedophiles and drug dealers outside the playground gate, and the bullies inside it. Forget about HIV - it's the least of your worries.