The Nation - News from Dec. 24, 1987

An AIDS-stricken child in Fairfax, Va., whose school superintendent sparked controversy by expelling her and saying she would be dead within months, won support from the president of the Fairfax Education Assn. in her bid to return to school. “We believe quality of life is important, no matter how long the life is going to be, or how short it is going to be,” said Mimi Dash of the 6,700-member teachers’ group. Robert Spillane, superintendent of Fairfax County schools, drew criticism for his remarks questioning the motives of a federal lawsuit filed by the parents of the ill child against the school. “This kid will be dead in a few months,” Spillane said, according to the Washington Post. “What’s the point of the lawyer?” In an evening news interview on WRC-TV, Spillane said he was quoted out of context.