THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE PRESERVICE HIV/AIDS EDUCATIONa

THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE PRESERVICE HIV/AIDS EDUCATION

Six factors related to HIV/AIDS make preservice preparation critical:

1. Children with HIV disease are living longer, and the number of children with HIV/AIDS who are attending school is expected to grow. Teachers need an understanding of the special educational, social, psychological, and medical needs of these students.

2. Since 1993, HIV/AIDS has been the leading cause of death among 25- to 44-year-olds in the United States (Update, 1996). Teachers may expect to confront educational and psycho-social issues among children whose parents have HIV disease.

3. To prevent the spread of any disease, teachers must be knowledgeable and skilled in using correct infection control guidelines in and around the classroom.

4. In some instances the teacher may be entrusted with information about a student's, parent's, or staff member's HIV status and must understand ethical and legal requirements for respecting confidentiality.

5. Teachers may be expected to provide HIV/AIDS education and to answer students' questions about HIV disease in a manner that is developmentally and culturally appropriate.

6. Teacher attitudes affect their comfort with and capacity to teach specific subject matter. The preservice setting offers an opportunity for future teachers to explore their own beliefs and biases toward the disease.