The Nation - News from July 15, 1986

In a Supreme Court case brief supporting a school district that fired a teacher who has infectious tuberculosis, the Justice Department said people with contagious diseases are not covered by the Rehabilitation Act, which protects people with handicaps from discrimination in programs receiving federal money. The case was brought to the high court by the Nassau County, Fla., School Board seeking review of a ruling by the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision that said tuberculosis was a handicap. The case has been closely followed by acquired immune deficiency syndrome victims and those fighting to protect them from discrimination.