If slain L.C. Swain Middle School teacher Calvin Williams had HIV, as police reports suggest, his bosses at the Palm Beach County school district did not have to know. Teachers' personal health information is protected by federal law.
"They are not required to disclose their status," says district public affairs specialist Bito David. "We don't have the right to know."
To protect against accidental infection, David says, all teachers are trained to use "universal precautions" when dealing with bodily fluids.
To protect against accidental infection, David says, all teachers are trained to use "universal precautions" when dealing with bodily fluids.
Williams, 41, was allegedly shot and killed by a lover who heard rumors that Williams had
the virus that causes AIDS. Lawrence Hunt told Riviera Beach police detectives that Williams tried to sexually assault him on the morning of May 14, so Hunt shot him in the head.
Police
later discovered unmarked pill bottles in Williams' bedroom containing
medication used to treat HIV. Public autopsy reports do not mention
whether he had the virus.
