HIV Scare At Missouri High School

Tests Conducted Over Fears That Up To 50 Teens At Suburban St. Louis School May Be Infected

(CBS/AP)  Students at a suburban St. Louis high school headed to the gymnasium for HIV testing this week after an infected person told health officials as many as 50 teenagers might have been exposed to the virus that causes AIDS.

Officials refused to give details on who the person was or how the students at Normandy High School might have been exposed, but the district is consulting with national AIDS organizations as it tries to minimize the fallout and prevent the infection - and misinformation - from spreading.

Health Department spokesman Craig LeFebvre has said the possibilities on how the students may have been exposed include sexual activity, intravenous drug use, piercings and tattoos.

"There's potential for stigma for all students regardless of whether they're positive or negative," Normandy School District spokesman Doug Hochstedler said Thursday. "The board wants to be sure all children are fully educated."

A teacher in a neighboring district singled out a girl who dates someone at Normandy High and instructed her to get tested, Hochstedler said. A competing school's football team initially balked at playing Normandy's 8-0 team.

Jasmine Lane, a 16-year-old sophomore, said her boyfriend from a neighboring high school broke up with her on learning of the news - after she bought them tickets to homecoming.

"I cried so hard," she said.

Hochstedler said that as far as he knows, no other district has had to handle a similar situation.

Appearing on The Early Show, Dr. Stanton Lawrence, superintendent of the Normandy School District, told co-anchor Harry Smith that the students "amazingly" have been very resilient to word of the health scare.

"The day we sent it out, I was in high school going classroom-to-classroom," Lawrence said. "Our students were engaged just as they routinely are. We provided additional counseling support, but the students reacted very, very well, as did the parents."

Students at the school of 1,300 are being tested voluntarily, and the district is getting advice on the best ways to support kids in crisis.

But some are feeling stigmatized.

Sophomore Tevin Baldwin said that many of his classmates in this working-class city of about 5,000 residents want to transfer out of the district, which encompasses other towns.

"Nobody knows what's going on," he said. The district declined to respond to his assertion.

Marcus Holman, a 14-year-old freshman, said he never imagined HIV would become such a widespread threat at school.

"I'm just trying to pass, get to the next grade, safely," he said.

The St. Louis County Health Department said last week that a positive HIV test raised concern that students at Normandy might have been exposed. The department is not saying whether the infected person was a student or connected with the school, only that the person indicated as many as 50 students may have been exposed.

Hochstedler said the district doesn't know the person's identity, or even whether he or she is a student.

"We do know there was some potential exposure between that person and students," he said. "We don't know the individual or the route of transmission."

Lawrence told Smith that, according to health officials, it is not believed that the carrier knowingly transmitted the virus. He also suggested that, even with what is known about HIV and AIDS and its dangers, students could make mistakes.

"Children are children, and if adults can make questionable decisions, certainly we have to understand that our young people will do this from time to time," he said on The Early Show. "I think what's important is that we respond, as we did, as expeditiously as possible, and let what is best for the kids drive our decision-making."

The district learned Oct. 9 of the potential exposure and within a business day worked out with the Health Department how to release the information and handle testing, he said.

"They took a very proactive stance," he said. "There's no precedent for this."

Students are being tested at six stations in the high school gymnasium, one class at a time. Only representatives from the Health Department are with the students, who are offered educational materials and a chance to ask questions before they are given an opportunity to be tested with a mouth swab, Hochstedler said. They may decline.

They exit through a separate door, and no one in the school would know who did or did not get tested.

"It's entirely up to the student," he said. "There's a lot of stigma associated with this."

The district will never know whether or how many of its students tested positive, he said.

"Once they're tested," he said, "it's an issue between the department and the child and his family."

So far, the district has met twice with parents and begun to ask ministers in the community to stress the importance of responsible behavior, Lawrence said.

Students in grades four through 12 already take classes that discuss the consequences of risky behavior, including HIV, he said.

[chimpyout]

"The board wants to be sure all children are fully educated?"
What planet you be livin on, fool?
What a mindset!

[ybotheratall]

I''m surprised the media doesn''t have photos of all the frightened students and angry families outside the controversy screaming, "keep away from our children". Remember that poor kid, what was his name, Ryan something or another?" They TORTURED him and his family. This never should have been allowed to become national news but the media has to make it difficult for everyone. Those poor kids and their families.

[last121868]

His name was Ryan White, not "something or another".

[gop_will_win]

We can rest assured that God only infected the sinners.

[dogsoul]

Um, here''s what I don''t get...

Ok - so one student tested positive - I get that... I''m sure there have been MANY students from various part who tested positive for HIV over the years. So HOW exactly does that translate to a 50 or more possible epidemic? Is this a student that went around banging half the school? Or is this just some kind of small town mass hysteria thing?

[bryantangels]

This should be a real wake up call to many parents. I work in an HIV/AIDS organization. We have several programs in existence to help educate the public and especially our youth. However, when we go into the schools, Boys & Girls clubs, etc. (where the youth are) in order to better educate them, the PARENTS hear about the message we are presenting and start complaining to officials that they don''t want us talking to their children about *** and drugs. As Mr. Harry Smith so graciously pointed out this morning, *** and drugs are factors that determine whether someone is at higher risk for contracting HIV. There should be more TV personalities (i.e. Early Show, Oprah, etc.) that have entire discussions just on the new trends of HIV. Our youth between 15-25 years of age and black women are being infected at alarming rates. There are many people being infected daily that don''t even know that they''re infected. HIV doesn''t discriminate against anyone. ANYONE can be infected. Trust me, I know. I was diagnosised HIV(+) when I was 19. If both my parents and the school system had permitted regular HIV/AIDS awareness and education, then I might not be infected today. PARENTS EDUCATE YOUR CHILDREN.

[jng123-2009]

you know, if they taught kids how to use condoms and practice safe ***, maybe this wouldn''t be a problem.

[checkthepast]

You know what I changed my mind...
Posted by Tired0ftheBS

You know what, I havent changed my mind. Please read the article and see if you are on subject or not.

Thank you and have a nice day.

[jaw23891]

"Well we can blame all this on the liberals as well since they wanted to encourage teens to be sexually active and act upon their impulses. Shame on you liberals!

Posted by gop_will_win at 09:01 AM : Oct 24, 2008"


It''s egregious and totally unqualified statements like this that make it so hard for me to feel anything but contempt and disgust for ultra-conservatives. At the same time, though, I do understand that this is your opinion, and for whatever whacky reason, you firmly believe it. I respect that, but it is dishonest and misleading to say "liberals...encourage teens to be sexually active." First off, because "liberal" encompasses a much greater range of heterogeneity than "conservative" [or "Republican" for that matter] does, it is futile to generalize. Secondly, liberals emphasize *** education, because it is a common known FACT that youth engage in pre-marital ***, and not just terrible, trashy liberal teens, but also wonderful, Godly, conservative teens [I''m not sure if you''ve heard, but Sarah Palin''s daughter is pregnant out of wedlock, at 17].

This isn''t an issue to point fingers at, it''s one that needs to be solved with an open mind and an open heart.

[suzella]

Are you kidding gop_will_win??? Comments like this go against a main lesson in Christianity. Comments liike that give Christians a bad name. That was a terribly judgemental comment and I thought Christians were to be forgiving and wait for God to judge. To think that God is punishing "sinners" by spreading this awful disease is even less Christian. BTW....news flash...Christians do have *** and even if premarital, all will be forgiven. Also, *** is not evil.
Anyway, this comment stirred me more than the article. Peace everyone

[checkthepast]

you know, if they taught kids how to use condoms and practice safe ***, maybe this wouldn''''t be a problem.

Posted by jng123

You know, if we taught kids any morals, we wouldn''t be known as the ''great satan'' half way around the world.

[jng123-2009]

You know, if we taught kids any morals, we wouldn''''t be known as the ''''great satan'''' half way around the world.


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Posted by checkthepast at 09:42 AM : Oct 24, 2008


well, i hope you are prepared to raise your ignorant-****, infected kids'' children.

[checkthepast]

Are you kidding gop_will_win??? Comments like this go against...
Posted by suzella

Suzella,
If you read gop_will_win''s posts you will see that they are acting in order to lampoon the conservative right. I personally find their efforts to be rather measly, but once in a while someone thinks they are serious. Their point is to try to give conservatives and Christians a bad reputation by having people think they represent that section of America. Its really pretty obvious that they dont have a clue.

[checkthepast]

We can rest assured that God only infected the sinners.

Posted by gop_will_win

Repeat that after you read the book of Job.
(or any other book for that matter!)

[checkthepast]

well, i hope you are prepared to raise your ignorant-****, infected kids'''' children.

Posted by jng123

I have 7 children without an ''ignorant or infected'' in the lot, thank you.

[jng123-2009]

7 children, huh? they most have all gone to school when they still taught $ex ed. hmmm, let''s hope they aren''t as in denial as you when it comes to teenage hormones.

[canuuk2]

Looks like abstinance only *** ed isn''t working so well, huh?

[checkthepast]

well, i hope you are prepared to raise your ignorant-****, infected kids'''''''' children.
Posted by jng123

I have 7 children without an ''''ignorant or infected'''' in the lot, thank you.
Posted by checkthepast

But it has been a challenge, actually ''parenting'' (what a concept!), teaching moral values and giving them sense to stay away from your side of tracks.

[longtree-2009]

with so many stds out there, so many closet bisexuals married and single, closet *** married and single, it is amazing that everyone does not get tested first before engaging in sexual activity. it''s amazing that everyone who engages in sexual activity does not demand the male wear a cover and/or the female wear a dental cover even for oral ***. it''s that kind of world and the very young need to be educated early because many are sexually active at an early age especially orally.

[gop_will_win]

This isn''''t an issue to point fingers at, it''''s one that needs to be solved with an open mind and an open heart.


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Posted by jaw23891
=====================
Its a situation that will only improve when liberals accept the fact that they are wrong.

[checkthepast]

7 children, huh? they most have all gone to school when they still taught $ex ed. hmmm, let''''s hope they aren''''t as in denial as you when it comes to teenage hormones.

Posted by jng123

*** ed and understanding the stages that kids go through on the way to adulthood has been a parenting responsibility forever. I''m not in denial about anything. I understand completely that the schools are full of kids with no responsible caretakers. Your opinions only back that line of thinking. "Parents arent responsible and kids are ho''s" I wish I could disagree.....

[hoosierbrad2]

This is the sort of thing that comes from abstinence-only teaching! Ignorance is not bliss, it is fatal!

[gramto8]

well, i hope you are prepared to raise your ignorant-****, infected kids'''''''' children.

Posted by jng123

I have 7 children without an ''''ignorant or infected'''' in the lot, thank you.

Posted by checkthepast at 09:51 AM : Oct 24, 2008

My daughters were raised to be neither ''ignorant nor infected'' either. However, after my younger daughter was married, her a$$hole of a husband infected her with HIV. One thing he had neglected to share with her prenuptially was that he was bisaxual. So don''t get too big a head (no pun intended) about your kids. It can happen to you as well.

[gramto8]

Thinning the gene pool.

When its all over, we will have our morals and our modesty returned to us. Until then, the weak will drop behind the pack, and be slowly eaten by the virus.

Posted by DaVicar1 at 09:56 AM : Oct 24, 2008

FYI, my daughter was infected 14 years ago. She is currently still on medication, though she gets a ''drug vacation'' occasionally. Her last blood tests showed Tcell counts within normal levels and viral load almost nondetectable.

[bryantangels]

All of you people making nasty, degrading comments about people infected with HIV with your sterotypical ideals as to who becomes infected are some of the same type of people who walk into my office with this mentality and test positive. How dare you think you can judge anyone based on a diagnosis? I don''t know what kind of God you are serving, but MY GOD doesn''t think or behave like that. MY GOD would never punish people in such a manner. You so called "holy rollers" need to really read your bible. The prophet Hosea''s wife was a prostitute (a marriage commanded and ordained by God) and Moses'' sister Miriam was struck with leprosy because of her racist heart (judging Moses'' wife without knowing anything about her). These comments are very demeaning and I can only pray that you hypocritical Christians don''t have to come into my office for services.

[newsjunky5]

Was it the local tattoo artist? Doesn''t matter, it''s more fun to talk about boinking.

[gramto8]

Thats what I said...''''slowly eaten by the virus''''.

Posted by DaVicar1 at 10:11 AM : Oct 24, 2008

True, you did. I hope you never spend a day like I did the day I held her and she was crying ''Mom, I don''t want to die" when the ba$**** that did this to her so ''nicely'' called to let her know he was HIV+.

[jng123-2009]

But it has been a challenge, actually ''''parenting'''' (what a concept!), teaching moral values and giving them sense to stay away from your side of tracks.


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Posted by checkthepast at 09:56 AM : Oct 24, 2008

my side of the tracks? so, you not only assume that i am poor and uneducated, but also that rich kids are not sexual?

[jng123-2009]

and moral values have absolutely nothing to do with sexuality. your "moral" priests molest children!! your "moral" children have ***, get knocked up because they didn''t know how to protect themselves, hide their pregnancy, then throw the baby in a garbage bin.

[erasmus81]

You know, if we taught kids any morals, we wouldn''''t be known as the ''''great satan'''' half way around the world.

Posted by checkthepast at 09:42 AM : Oct 24, 2008

They don''t make parents like they used to.

[gramto8]

For a disease thats just shy of 100% preventable? Its pretty easy to be judgemental.

Posted by DaVicar1 at 10:19 AM : Oct 24, 2008

How very understanding of you..... NOT!! Just as I stated before, I hope you don''t have to go through holding your child or other loved one when they find they have been exposed.

[liberalme]

Its a situation that will only improve when liberals accept the fact that they are wrong ----------------------------------------
-- Posted by gop_will_win



So many ills will be solved by that!


Posted by DaVicar1 at 10

And a good "liberal" example of that is Palins daughter--unprotected S ex? What a great "liberal" example!! She could have as easily gotten Aids as well a pregnant--go ahead keep blaming the libs!!!

[gop_will_win]

I choose to blame the UNEDUCATED, like people who post words such a I am remarking on!

LISTEN UP, class, this is BRIEF, and to the point!

NOBODY EVER got HIV from having unprotected secks!
You get HIV from contact with an infected carrier!


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Posted by DaVicar1
===================
Yes like touching a doorknob or a tabletop that was touched by an infected sinner.

[jng123-2009]

Yes like touching a doorknob or a tabletop that was touched by an infected sinner.


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Posted by gop_will_win at 10:34 AM : Oct 24, 2008


i will have to admit, your mockery does sometimes make me smile.

[jng123-2009]

designerjenn--way to go!

[bryantangels]

For a disease thats just shy of 100% preventable? Its pretty easy to be judgemental.


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Posted by DaVicar1 at 10:19 AM : Oct 24, 2008
You sound like an ignorant idiot. Married persons are also being infected because they don''t feel there''s a need for protection. ANYONE can be infected regardless of race, age, education, ethnicity, ***,whatever. HIV infection doesn''t necessarily speak to one''s morality. So tell us how a person who thinks they''re in a mutually monagamus relationship contracts the virus since it''s virtually 100% preventable?

[liberalme]

NOBODY EVER got HIV from having unprotected secks!
You get HIV from contact with an infected carrier!

Posted by DaVicar1 at 10

Wow that''s brilliant!!!! Let me phrase that so someone like you can comprehend----
HIV is contageous via fluids--blood and bodily fluids, such as seman--soooooo if a young girl (Bristol Palin) had unprotected s ex (which she did) if her boyfiend also had aids, she would have also gotten hiv as well as pregnant, thus exposing a child to the virus as well.

There are also many who have gotten the virus from blood transfusions--

Most viruses and infections are transmittable through an infected carrier davicar---that just plain logical.

[zertrat]

What is the news here?
Nothing but the faintest smoke of gossip. One unspecified infected person in the community tells a story the details of which are entirely unknown to the media and for which there is no confirmation. Everyone goes bonkos.

[myopinion381]

To everyone that keeps pulling politics into this article (and almost every article that has NOTHING to do with politics), it''s getting old. If the rest of us posting about an article want to read the political *** we will go to those articles.

[gramto8]

This affects so many more people than just those infected. There may have been 50 teens in that gymnasium, but the impact will hit hundreds of people. Its seems so easy to just dismiss this, and say things like ''''kids think they are invinceable''''.

We either need to spend the time and money on this type of education, or we will be spending it on grief counselors.

Posted by DaVicar1 at 10:24 AM : Oct 24, 2008

You have finally said something with which I wholeheartedly agree!! Kids need more information than ''Just say no'' to learn about HIV, other STDs, and pregnancy. The more good information, meaning scientifically-true, age-related material, the kids can get, the better it will be all around.

However, the grief counselors are needed at various stages of the process in regards to the HIV disaster. Believe me on this. I know the hard way.
You feel like your world has come to an end when you find out this has happened to your family. It doesn''t matter what the mode of infection is, the fact that your loved one has this disease is one event that is comparable to the death of a family member in its attack on your psyche.

[gramto8]

You see, the trick here is that her ''''boyfriend'''' does NOT have HIV! Thats the prevention part!

And YOU have the nerve to call others ignorant? Are you sure that kettle is black?

Posted by DaVicar1 at 10:46 AM : Oct 24, 2008

Vicar
How do you know that? How would Bristol know that? Even if they took a test just before they had se.x and it had come back HIV-, he could be in the window of time between his infection and the time that the virus would show on any test. That window can be from 2 weeks to 6 months or even longer in a few cases.

[caldwellptr]

I was surprised to read that HIV carries a stigma and ostracization still. The picture of HIV painted here must be frightening exactly at the same time as the folks need comforting and understanding.

[myopinion381]

caldwellptr - I completely agree with you. Would be nice if people would quit preaching about only sinners getting HIV and work on programs that assist with the understanding of the disease.

[gop_will_win]

gop_will_win: Do you know exactly how ignorant you sound?

If I were to argue one side of your arguement, the Bible says we''''re all sinners, so get over it. try a little compassion for all those who are scared out of their minds right now.

that''''s what Republicans are supposed to be, right? compassionate? (not that I have ever agreed with that sentiment).


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Posted by usnjake
=======================
Ignorant? Me? I dont have aids.

[myopinion381]

Ignorant? Me? I dont have aids. Posted by gop_will_win at 11:34 AM

I have seen you post some nasty comments before but I don''t think you even top that one. IDIOT!!!

[homespunlady]

From above:
Health Department spokesman Craig LeFebvre has said the possibilities on how the students may have been exposed include sexual activity, intravenous drug use, piercings and tattoos.

That means that a local TATTOO parlor, any place that pierced ears, the local druggie OR the usual STD route could be the potential problem.

The SHAME is in the SECRECY and IGNORANCE and now the FEAR that I''d say is the REAL problem.

Every rural school around here has something similar going on. Soaring pregnancy rates, outbreaks of the more curable STDs, etc. and this IS the Bible Belt and the kids involved DON''T seem to be belonging to ANY one group.

In a nation where OVER 85 PERCENT of the population carries PARASITES of one sort or another, disease happens. We don''t talk about parasites either but they too cause illness and death sometimes if not caught in time and some of them also are not "curable" but they ARE controllable and so is HIV if SUPERSTITION, embarrassment, false pride and self-interest is dropped in favor of responsible action.

Witch hunts, finger pointing and baseless fear is not the answer.
The honest statistics have HIV infections now throughout our nation and there are numerous districts that probably have infected individuals among their population.

The smart thing is to track down the carriers, control the spread of it and find a cure.

[saransk]

While in the US we have allowed homophobia - driven by intolerant religious beliefs - to color the HIV epidemic, in the rest of the world this is a global issue that crosses racial-gender-sexual boundaries. This is a global health crisis and trying to stigmatize one group or another won''t end it. Remember - what is more important, our children''s lives, or blind faith to a particular dogma. The reactions others had about this shows how ignorant we remain about this desease

[erasmus81]

Ok - so one student tested positive - I get that... I''''m sure there have been MANY students from various part who tested positive for HIV over the years. So HOW exactly does that translate to a 50 or more possible epidemic?

Posted by dogsoul at 09:32 AM : Oct 24, 2008

Well, one person has s-e-x with another person, and then that person has s-e-x with another person. And then that person shares a needle with another person and then the other person decides to tattoo a few friends, using the same needle. And on and on it goes. Wouldn''t take long.

[j_m_d_2010]

I think that there should also be some type of prevention class or something along those lines. I think that we shouldn''t be grouping all the people that have HIV into one area. People should know how to prevent it. BUT, there should be some type of way to stop the spread of HIV in our nations and others.

People can''t help it if they''re born with HIV because they''re mother has HIV. It''s not due to the ***, or anything like that. It''s just a matter of people not being careful. People in other countries have HIV too, due to the lack of health care. And when they come to the US, they spread it if they don''t have knowledge of how to stop it from spreading.

[gop_will_win]

Ignorant? Me? I dont have aids. Posted by gop_will_win at 11:34 AM

I have seen you post some nasty comments before but I don''''t think you even top that one. IDIOT!!!


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Posted by MyOpinion381
========================
I am not one of those "I made it to the top now so I can rest on my laurels" type of people. I love new challanges. Set the bar higher I say!