Hershey, Pa. school turns away boy with HIV
HERSHEY - The Milton Hersey School was founded by the chocolate tycoon as a school that 'nurtures and educates children in social and financial need to lead fulfilling and productive lives'...
The Milton Hersey School was founded by the chocolate tycoon as a school that “nurtures and educates children in social and financial need to lead fulfilling and productive lives.”
But it seems that fulfillment won’t be coming for a 13-year-old honor student from Delaware County who is infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
“I feel no other teenager should go through this, being denied just because they have HIV,” the boy said in an exclusive interview with NBC Philadelphia’s Denise Nakano.
WATCH THE STORY OF A 13-YEAR OLD BOY TURNED AWAY FROM SCHOOL BECAUSE HE’S INFECTED WITH HIV
[NBCVIDEO source=”PHILLY” video=”http://media.nbcphiladelphia.com/assets/dev-thep-pdk/web/pdk/swf/flvPlayer.swf?pid=HTUZBnPQQCXSbtktO7TbOTAkHmwSMtFK” w=”576″ h=”324″]
View more videos at: http://nbcphiladelphia.com.
His lawyer has filed a discrimination suit in U.S. District Court that alleges that the Hershey School “violated multiple anti-discrimination laws” by not admitting the boy based on him being HIV Positive.
The lawsuit was filed under a pseudonym and the boy and his mother’s identities weren’t revealed per their request.
The private boarding school doesn’t deny that they rejected the boy’s admission because of concerns for the health and safety of fellow students. They even petitioned to have the court review the case, they said.
Students Air Concerns at 1st Penn State Town Hall
Milton Hershey School released a statement Wednesday saying in part that “in order to protect our children in this unique environment, we cannot accommodate the needs of students with chronic communicable diseases that pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others.”
Click here to read the rest of the story.
