 | ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS |
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| (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) IASSW endorses the position that school children inflicted with the AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, including the variety of illnesses associated with this complex disease, as well as other students suffering from various infectious diseases, be afforded equal rights and privileges with their peers. School social workers share concerns regarding the individual's as well as the group's rights. Both deserve respect and need to be taken into account when faced with the situation of a school aged child acquiring AIDS. IASSW concurs with the Surgeon General that the vast majority of children can attend school along with their classmates without harming the other students and/or school personnel. AIDS, besides being a basically fatal disease, can also carry with it highly charged emotions and fears within communities, including the school, when it is known that a child has acquired this illness. All social workers, through abiding by their organization's code of ethics, support an individual's right to be treated equally and with respect. One of a school social worker's vital roles involves serving as an advocate for children and their parents while simultaneously working as a team member in the school district of which they are employed. History shows us that, while AIDS is a fairly recent known disease, it has infected numerous children through various means. IASSW, as an organized group of school social workers in Illinois, needs to promote awareness of this complexing disease to others in the schools and communities we serve. We can be the leaders in this role with our special relationship in the schools, and with parents and their children, to dispel and allay the many fears and concerns that abound in connection with AIDS. We support the evidence that a child who has contracted the illness should not be viewed as handicapped unless his learning is being seriously hampered by having AIDS. We must try to prevent these children from being further labeled while ensuring that their needs as well as their parents are being respected. Therefore, IASSW supports the position that children who have been afflicted with the AIDS virus, as well as those students who have contracted other infectious diseases, be granted the same rights and privileges as their classmates who do not carry the illness. IASSW contends that we, as an organization of school social workers, advocate for these children and their parents, while also taking into account the rights of others in the schools and surrounding communities.
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© 1997-2008 Illinois Association of School Social Workers Updated on: April 19, 2008 |
