AIDS discrimination in Mexico
A child in Chihuahua is being prevented from attending school because his mother is HIV+. If he can provide proof of a negative test, his teacher says he can attend class, otherwise he is not welcome.
There will be a hearing with government human rights representatives next week.
[Insert disbelief or rant here.]
Very sad. So, it’s up to the teacher’s discretion, to set this condition, or is it the school as a whole?
According to the story, it seems the teacher is the one who asked the mother to present evidence of the child’s HIV status and who is barring the student’s attendance. It’s unclear whether higher school officials were involved.
I have no disbelief. In small communities (one room school houses still very common in Mexico) it really is up to the teacher. Not the last word but there isn’t a school board or principal or PTO as we would think of here in the US.
You’re right Elena Mary. Often teachers are barely high school graduates themselves, though sometimes they may be university students.