• Introduction
• AIDS and HIV:
  The Basics
• Transmission
  of HIV
• AIDS and HIV in Schools
• Protecting School Employees Against HIV Infection
• Rights of HIV-Infected Staff and Students
• UFT Services for HIV-Infected Staff
• AIDS Education in the Schools
• Obtaining More Information About AIDS

Introduction

The epidemic of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)—the virus that causes AIDS—is one of the most serious health problems facing the United States today. At least one million Americans are believed to be infected with HIV. Between June 1981 and June 1994, more than 240,000 AIDS-related deaths were reported. That’s more than twice the number of Americans who died in the Korean and Vietnam wars combined. In 1993, AIDS became the leading cause of death among people aged 25 to 44—an age bracket that accounted for 75 percent of all AIDS deaths.

Eventually this tragic epidemic will touch all of our lives. We all need to know how to prevent the spread of HIV infection. And we all need to understand that HIV-positive people can remain fully participating members of the school community without risk to others.

Some school staff have been concerned about contracting HIV at work. They need to know that you can catch the virus only if the blood, semen or vaginal secretions of a person infected with HIV enter directly into your bloodstream. As a result, for most school employees, there is NO risk of contracting the virus through typical, day-to-day activities at school.

However, as this pamphlet explains, it is possible—BUT HIGHLY UNLIKELY—for school nurses and other school staff whose work routinely involves exposure to blood to contract HIV in the workplace.

Employees called upon to provide first aid in an emergency could be at risk as well. But the risk is limited and school staff can easily protect themselves by following the “universal precautions” described later in the pamphlet. Not one case of HIV transmission has ever been documented in a school.

Some school employees are infected with HIV. This pamphlet also provides information about their rights and about UFT services for members living with HIV.

The UFT response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic includes:

• Providing staff with up-to-date information including this booklet.

• Filing a complaint with the New York State Department of Labor to force Department of Education compliance with regulations designed to prevent HIV transmission in the workplace.

• Providing advice, counseling and referrals by specialists to members living with HIV/AIDS.

• Forcing the Department of Education to make reasonable accommodations that will allow infected members to work as long as they are able. (See information on the UFT Committee for Members Who Are Capably Disabled.)

• Offering support with medical needs by the caring staff of the UFT Welfare Fund.

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