Illinois: Youth HIV/AIDS Forum on Tap

The growth of HIV/AIDS among Illinois teens will be the topic of a forum presented Friday by the Children's Place Association (CPA). Also on the agenda will be a discussion of a law still on the books in Illinois, possibly the only one of its kind in the United States, requiring that the school principal be notified if one of his or her students tests HIV-positive.

The law was passed in 1987 and modified in 1988, a period identified by CPA spokesperson David Ormsby as "the height of the ignorance about HIV/AIDS." The statute authorizes disclosure to the HIV-positive student's teacher and school nurse in addition to the principal, posing risks to the student's confidentiality, he said.

The law creates a serious barrier to testing, said CPA's Cathy Krieger, adding that it needs to be changed to facilitate the state's fight against AIDS among teens.

State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) said she was "alarmed" when she learned of the statute, which she called "culturally insensitive." Feigenholtz plans to take part in the meeting and said she will work with AIDS activists to have the law repealed.

In addition to the burden imposed by the notification law, Krieger said other concerns for teens include safeguarding their privacy while they are still under their parents' insurance.

The forum will take place Friday, Nov. 9, at the Chicago InterContinental Hotel, 505 N. Michigan Ave., 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.childrens-place.org.

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