Hershey School Abandons Untenable Litigating Position, Will Admit Students with HIV

Good news via this article, which begins:

The Milton Hershey School has reversed its policy to deny admission to applicants who are HIV positive. 

In a statement, MHS President Anthony Colistra said, "We are issuing a new Equal Opportunity Policy clearly stating that the School treats applicants with HIV no differently than any other applicants. We are also developing and providing mandatory training for staff and students on HIV issues and expanding our current training on Universal Precautions." 

A 13-year-old denied admission because he has HIV filed a federal lawsuit using the pseudonym "Abraham Smith." He says the Milton Hershey School violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

MHS has extendied an offer to the teenager and his mother to continue the enrollment process for fall classes.

It looks like the decision of the Department of Justice to advise Hershey that it could not exclude students with HIV was critical to Hershey's decision here. Kudos to my old colleagues at DOJ!