AIDS Victim Gets Warm Welcome at School in Oregon

A hemophilic boy diagnosed as carrying the AIDS virus was greeted like “a long-lost friend” by his classmates when he returned Monday to Glide Elementary School, the superintendent said.

Scott Mutchie said it appeared that a few parents had kept their children home out of fear of the deadly disease, but most realized that their children were not in danger of catching acquired immune deficiency syndrome at the school.

The boy is the first child to go back to public school in Oregon after disclosure that he carries the AIDS virus, Mutchie has said.

“The only change in routine I noticed this morning was the fact that students in the particular class were quite eager to see and talk to the person involved,” Mutchie added. “They all went into the classroom, and it appeared as though a long-lost friend had returned.”

A month ago, the unidentified boy’s parents notified school officials that their son had tested positive for the AIDS virus.