The Nation : Girl, 5, With AIDS Allowed Back in Class

A 5-year-old girl banned from school because she has AIDS will be allowed to return to kindergarten in Fairfax County, Va. Still pending was a suit by the child’s mother seeking a court order requiring readmission, although the school board voted 8 to 0 in favor of letting the child back. The child, who has not been identified, is undergoing treatment with the drug AZT. She is believed to have contracted the virus from a blood transfusion shortly after birth. The school board attached several conditions to its decision, including giving the superintendent the right to ban the girl from classes should her condition worsen. If such a ban is imposed, it would be in effect only until the school board’s next regular meeting, at which time the board members would consider whether the pupil would continue to be excluded from classes. Under the board’s ruling, the health department also must provide a registered nurse to be in attendance at the girl’s school, and the girl’s health must be evaluated weekly by a panel of medical experts.