The New York Times - October 16, 1986
Dirk Johnson

It marks the first such move by a school district in Connecticut. In New Haven, school officials decided to send tutors to the homes of two children suffering from the disease.

"Since there is no risk to other people, the child's rightful place is in the classroom," the Granby Superintendent of Schools, Pasquale Starble, said. He said that while he knew the decision would be controversial, "I felt the people in Granby could handle this."

The parents of the victim, whose identity has not been released, told officials at Kelly Lane Elementary School last week that their child had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. Since then, a handful of parents have held their children out of school.

The Townspeople Assemble

More than 400 townspeople packed the high school cafeteria Wednesday in a sometimes-heated meeting with school and State Health Department officials. About 9,000 people live in this picturesque town about 15 miles northwest of Hartford.

"Our children are our gold," an opponent of the board's decision, Gus Love, said at the meeting. "Take them away, and we have nothing."

The state's chief epidemiologist, Dr. James Hadler, fielded questions about AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and told the parents that there was a "remote" chance of it being transmitted in a school setting. He also said the state had recommended precautions to guard against the transmission of AIDS, which is passed on through the blood and other bodily fluids.

"I'm a parent, just like you," Dr. Hadler said. "I have a personal interest in this issue."

Parents Belittle Guidelines

But many parents ridiculed the state's guidelines on AIDS in school as naive, saying that youngsters sometimes scratch or bite one another, and that some children still prick their fingers and rub them together in a "blood brother" ceremony.

"When we get a fever, they send us home from school," said a high school senior, Will Avery. "This is no fever."

Dr. Hadler said studies could find no AIDS contagion through casual contact among those who live with victims or work in hospitals with them. As for playground scuffling, he said, health experts have estimated that 1 in 10,000 bite marks would transmit the virus. He said only 1 or 2 percent of AIDS suffers have the virus in their saliva, and then at a much-reduced level.

"Children with AIDS in the schools are not going to pose a public health threat to other children," he said.

'They're a Good Family'

After school officials learned of the child's condition, they met with faculty and staff members and mailed letters to all students' parents and guardians. The letter said the victim's name, grade and sex would be kept confidential at the wishes of the parents.

"They're a good family and they're trying to be open and do what's right," Mr. Starble said. The president of the teacher's union, Robert Namnoum, has supported the decision. At the meeting Wednesday, some other parents also spoke in support.

"I was very proud when it was announced that the child was going to be allowed to attend," said the mother of two boys in school here, Joyce Bergenholtz. "But I'm very disappointed by some of the comments here tonight."

At the meeting, two statements were passed around for signatures.

One was a petition urging the Board of Education to reconsider its decision.

The other was an open letter to the parents of the afflicted child.

"We want to respect your wish to remain anonymous," the letter said, "yet we need to tell you we care about you and your family. We are a diverse group, so our signatures carry many messages ranging from outrage that this could happen to one of our children, to heartfelt prayers for all of you. We are all united by compassion."

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