The Nation - News from Sept. 7, 1989

AIDS victims should not be isolated or given special treatment in U.S. schools, according to a new guide that says up-to-date knowledge about the disease should quiet fears that the virus can be easily transmitted. “Until now, many people have been fearful that (AIDS) could be transmitted at school,” the National Assn. of State Boards of Education said in the booklet that updates guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control in 1985. “We have enough information to stop worrying about this.” The guidelines, endorsed by a variety of health and education groups, call for confidentiality but oppose mandatory testing of school pupils or employees for AIDS. Previous guidelines suggested that schools be cautious about children who bite or who were not toilet trained, in case the AIDS virus might be transmitted through saliva or handling diapers.