The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 makes it illegal to discriminate against people living with HIV and protects HIV-positive pupils and staff from discrimination, requiring schools to make reasonable adjustments to support them.
Despite these legal protections, the Children and Young People HIV Network, based at NCB, routinely hears of children being refused school places or excluded, and school staff being refused employment. In one case, a teacher who wrongly presumed a child knew her own diagnosis informed the child of her HIV status.
HIV is not a notifiable condition, which means individuals have the right to decide whether or not to disclose their status. There have been no known cases of HIV transmission in UK schools and it is important to note that an HIV-positive child poses no risk to pupils or staff. HIV cannot be transmitted through spitting, biting, small cuts or grazes, sharing utensils or toilet seats.
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