50 students might have been exposed to HIV
Thursday, October 23, 2008
NORMANDY, Mo. (AP) _ Students at a suburban St. Louis high school headed to the gymnasium for HIV testing this week after an infected person told health officials as many as 50 teenagers might have been exposed to the virus that causes AIDS.
Officials refused to give details on who the person was or how the students at Normandy High School might have been exposed, but the district is consulting with national AIDS organizations as it tries to minimize the fallout and prevent the infection — and misinformation — from spreading.
"There's potential for stigma for all students regardless of whether they're positive or negative," Normandy School District spokesman Doug Hochstedler said Thursday. "The board wants to be sure all children are fully educated."
A teacher in a neighboring district singled out a girl who dates someone at Normandy High and instructed her to get tested, Hochstedler said. A competing school's football team initially balked at playing Normandy's 8-0 team.
Jasmine Lane, a 16-year-old sophomore, said her boyfriend from a neighboring high school broke up with her on learning of the news — after she bought them tickets to homecoming.
"I cried so hard," she said.
Hochstedler said that as far as he knows, no other district has had to handle a similar situation. Students at the school of 1,300 are being tested, and the district is getting advice on the best ways to support kids in crisis.
Sophomore Tevin Baldwin said that many of his classmates in this working-class city of about 5,000 residents want to transfer out of the district, which encompasses other towns.
"Nobody knows what's going on," he said. The district declined to respond to his assertion.
Marcus Holman, a 14-year-old freshman, said he never imagined attending a school facing the threat of HIV.
"I'm just trying to pass, get to the next grade, safely," he said.
The St. Louis County Health Department said last week a positive HIV test raised concern that students at Normandy might have been exposed. The health department is not saying whether the infected person was a student or connected with the school, only that the person indicated as many as 50 students may have been exposed.
The Health Department also will not say how any exposure might have occurred. Health Department spokesman Craig LeFebvre has said the possibilities include sexual activity, intravenous drug use, piercings and tattoos.
Hochstedler said the district doesn't know the person's identity, or even whether he or she is a student.
"We do know there was some potential exposure between that person and students," he said. "We don't know the individual or the route of transmission."
The district learned Oct. 9 of the potential exposure and within a business day worked with the Health Department how to release the information and handle testing, he said.
"They took a very proactive stance," he said. "There's no precedent for this."
Normandy Superintendent Stanton Lawrence said he reacted with great concern and wanting to "make certain to do the responsible thing and tend to the needs of those students."
Students are being tested at six stations in the high school gymnasium, one class at a time. Only representatives from the Health Department are with the students, who are offered educational materials and a chance to ask questions before they are given an opportunity to be tested with a mouth swab, Hochstedler said. They may decline.
They exit through a separate door, and no one in the school would know who did or did not get tested.
"It's entirely up to the student," he said. "There's a lot of stigma associated with this."
The district will never know whether or how many of its students tested positive, he said.
"Once they're tested," he said, "it's an issue between the department and the child and his family."
Lawrence said students remain focused on learning, despite concerns and distraction; there's no hysteria or panic and school is running routinely.
"They recognize this situation is what it is, and doesn't mean school is over," he said. "Their concern is heightened, but we have to face it and do the responsible thing."
So far, the district has met twice with parents, and begun to ask ministers in the community to stress the importance of responsible behavior.
Students in grades four through 12 already take classes that discuss the consequences of risky behaviors — including HIV, Lawrence said.
Pollyanna (anonymous) says...
I hope parents are pointing out this article to young people. One infected partner and EHS could have the same scenario. Part of being a young person is that feeling of being invincible and that nothing bad will happen to them. Sadly we are living in a world now where one risky and unsafe decision could very well earn you a status of HIV+.
October 23, 2008 at 10:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kseyetie (anonymous) says...
Polly: I agree. Another good example of why we need honest dialogue and real, comprehensive human sexuality education in schools and in each home as parents see fit.
October 24, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
By not giving more information on HOW the kids may have been exposed, the school is only making it worse. It may not have been sex at all. Any exchange of body fluids can potentially expose a person to HIV. Some more so than others but still...I can see the need to protect the identity of the infected person but at least they could say, it was the kids who had an ear piercing party with the same needle or whatever. Narrow the scope a little to relieve some anxiety.
I hope they still show the poster I saw in sex ed in high school. It showed how many potential sexual contacts you'd have if you had sex with one person and that person had sex with just two and they each had two partners. I don't remember the number but the bottom of the poster was full. It really freaked me out. That was 20 years ago so I don't know if they still use it or not. It was very effective for me!
October 24, 2008 at 2:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )