Milton Hershey School HIV discrimination case: Ryan White all over again?

A 13-year-old Delaware County boy is suing the Milton Hershey School for denying him admission because he is HIV-positive. The school says this should not be compared with the Ryan White case of the mid-’80s. Do you agree?

WHYY’s Carolyn Beeler reported today that the Milton Hershey School, a free boarding school for low-income students, has denied admission to a 13-year-old Delaware County honors student because he is HIV-positive. The boy’s family is suing the school.

What do you think about the school’sactions? Tell us in the comments below.

The school counters in an official statement that it is acting in the best interests of its students. “No child can be assumed to always make responsible decisions which protect the well being of others,” they said.

The school says it planned to ask the federal court to review the decision, but the boy’s attorneys pre-empted their filing with an “adversarial” lawsuit.

The case is being compared with the Ryan White case, in the mid-1980s. White was expelled from his Indiana school for being HIV-positive, but he fought back and won. Hershey denies the cases have any similarity because it is a boarding school, not a day school.