Lawsuit was made by HIV teen demanding her rights

2008-11-25 06:02:54 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Headline)

AP.google.com – A lawsuit was made in Indianapolis by HIV positive teen demanding her rights to attend classes two decades ago, she says that she was bullied so badly over her positive status that she left school.

The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday against Washington Township Schools in Indianapolis said that the girl was subjected to name-calling and harassment at Westlane Middle School and that school officials did little to stop it.

In one instance, the lawsuit said, the middle schooler’s soccer coach asked the girl whether she had AIDS, then told her the team could use her HIV status to its advantage because “the other team will be afraid.” Someone left a note on her locker that said, “No AIDS at Westlane.”

The girl, “on an almost daily basis, endured continuing harassment, teasing, name calling and bullying by her fellow students,” said the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages.

The lawsuit says the girl was found in 2006 to have the virus that causes AIDS. It does not specify how she contracted the virus. She confided her condition to a friend in March 2007, and the bullying began shortly thereafter as word spread throughout the school.