Jakarta student with HIV+ dad expelled from school
A sign promoting HIV counseling service in Indonesia.
Don Bosco Elementary School in Jakarta, Indonesia, will have a tough time spinning their way out of this one.
According to the Indonesian press, a 6-year-old pupil at the primary school has been expelled simply because her father is HIV positive.
According to the Jakarta Post, the school demanded an HIV/AIDS test from the young student. Administrators were prompted, the Jakarta Globe reports, by concerned parents.
It gets worse.
Both papers report that the girl was notified of her expulsion by text message.
Ironically, the message was sent on World AIDS Day, described as "an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV." Expelling the 6-year-old daughter of an HIV-positive father is probably not what the event's organizers had in mind.
But it gets even worse.
At least one official tied to the school isn't even trying to spin their decision. The Jakarta Globe reports that he apologized on television, but only for dismissing the student with a text.
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