Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 3, 1990 TAG: 9003032585
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: RAD LENGTH: Medium
Superintendent Michael Wright said adoption of the new policy was needed to bring Radford in line with Virginia code provisions for educating youngsters infected with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus.
Board Member Carter Effler said nothing in the new policy requires a parent of an HIV-infected student to inform school authorities of the child's condition.
Board member Chip Craig, a lawyer, said he had reviewed the proposed local guidelines and recommended their adoption as "consistent with the state model."
The policy requires "all persons privileged with any medical information about HIV-infected students" to maintain strict confidentiality.
"Individuals will be informed of the situation on a `need-to-know' basis," the policy says.
The board's action leaves the city school system with two disparate policies for dealing with individuals infected with AIDS or other communicable diseases, one for students and one for faculty and staff.
Students, faculty and staff previously had come under a single policy for people with "blood-borne contagious or infectious diseases." That policy now only refers to "employees who suffer from blood-borne diseases which are infectious or contagious, such as AIDS and hepatitis B."
The employees' AIDS policy contains provisions to force an AIDS-infected worker to stay at home pending a determination by the superintendent and an advisory committee. No such provision exists in the students' HIV/AIDS policy.
"I don't think it's enforceable," Effler said of the employees' policy.
I'd be happy to look it over," Craig responded. "I think it is [enforceable]."
Wright said the Virginia School Boards Association has recommended a similar policy. "The [school boards association] has not rescinded this policy to my knowledge," he said.
In other business, board member Guy Gentry was appointed to represent the city on the New River Valley Magnet School governing board. He succeeds Board Chairman John McPhail, who had asked to be replaced.
The board also agreed to cut a list of proposed projects set for completion during the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The action comes after a City Council decision in February to cut $10,000 from a board request to reinstate $129,427 it did not spend last year.
Put on hold were plans to replace the kitchen floor at Belle Heth Elementary and to refinish the floor of the high school gym.
"It may be necessary to adjust all the items in the budget," McPhail conceded.
"We'll hope that we can make ends meet," said Wright, who told the board that sales tax receipts to the school system were down about $18,000 for January and February.
Wright also said student enrollments already are below his projections, which means the city will get less money from the state.
*** Correction Published Mar. 10, 1990 in Current*** Because of an editing error, the Radford School Board vote on an AIDS policy was reported incorrectly in the March 3 New River Current.
The vote was unanimous in favor of the policy.
Memo: correction