Woman Sues Board of Ed. Over Hepatitis C Infection

NEW YORK—After getting infected with Hepatitis C, a paraprofessional from the city’s public school system is suing the Board of Education for failing to provide her with adequate education about and protection from the disease.

Laurie Baron, who works with “special needs” children, was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in November 2003. She claims that she was infected from repeatedly coming into contact with the blood and feces of the children under her care.

“The students are wonderful,” Baron told members of the press on Nov. 15, “but some of them self-mutilate, some bite, some are very aggressive as part of their special condition.”

Her sickness has caused her to endure, “48 weeks of grueling treatment.” Also, she was out of work for over five months, for which she received no pay.

United Federation of Teachers (UFT) president Randi Weingarten stressed that it was the school’s responsibility to follow protocols meant to protect the children and staff.

“There are standards about how to deal with blood, and the Board of Education routinely ignores these standards, and as a result, both the staff and sometimes children have become sick,” she said.

Weingarten went on to explain that, “Educators are not being offered vaccines or being adequately trained. In most cases they get very little equipment—maybe a pair of latex gloves.”

Department of Education guidelines call for vaccinations as well as training and the use of protective measures when dealing with the possible transmission of blood-born pathogens. All schools are required to comply with the Blood Born Pathogen Standard, a federal law enforced by Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

After Barron’s diagnosis, the Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau conducted an investigation and found her school guilty of 14 violations, for which the Board of Education was fined tens of thousands of dollars.

The board asserts that it has practices in place, such as the use of gloves that should protect employees, but Baron claimed, “We were told directly that there were not enough gloves, so please use them sparingly. Or, we were told not to use them at all, because they make the children feel bad.”

Lou Heller, the chief attorney representing Baron’s case, said that his client is simply demanding that the Board of Education admit its negligence and take the necessary steps to right the situation.

“Correct the problem. Workers’ compensation doesn’t cure Hepatitis C,” said Heller.