Arkansas school district violates federal act over HIV tests

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     (AP) – The U.S. Department of Justice says an Arkansas school

district violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2013 by excluding some

students until they were tested for HIV.

     The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the Pea Ridge School District

removed three students, all foster children, from school after it received

documents regarding the HIV status of a family member of those students.

     They returned to school several days later, before the district received the

test results.

     School district Superintendent Rick Neal says the actions were taken with

advice from David Matthews, the district’s attorney at the time. Matthews said

he feared staff members and students could be exposed to HIV.

     The DOJ says a student’s HIV status isn’t a permissible basis for keeping that

student from a public school setting.




   

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