What Would Milton Do?

I guess the world and it's mother knows by now that the Milton Hershey School turned away a student because he is HIV positive.

I cut & pasted this directly from the Milton Hershey School's own website.

Every day children are born into neighborhoods fraught with extreme poverty and limited opportunities. Many parents are unable to provide their children with the support they need to reach their potential. This is the reality of at-risk children in communities throughout the nation. Milton Hershey believed that providing children from families in need with a first-rate education and the support of a nurturing and caring community would enable them to break the chains of poverty.

I guess they forgot to add the following line

...But only if their HIV status is negative.

I guess one teen won't be reaching his potential because they are afraid he will have unprotected sex with another teen. At least, I hope they think "another teen" and it's not a case of a faculty member who doesn't want to use protection. Seriously. I was raised in an orphanage. You have to question these things. 

Milton Hershey founded this school because his own schooling was quite fraught. He wanted to create a place for disadvantaged kids to learn.

I think being HIV+ is a pretty big disadvantage for a kid to have.

I wonder what Milton Hershey would say or do if he were around today?

 

Would he support the school's decision, I wonder?  What do you think?

"The value of our good is not measured by what it does, but by the amount of good it does to the one concerned."
                                            -Milton Hershey

 

Comments

[Gina]

I am adopting a little girl with HIV. This story breaks my heart. One would not think this possible in this country in this year...and yet. Thanks for posting.