Parents Assail Condom Plan of Schools’ AIDS Task Force

An AIDS task force recommendation that condoms be available on junior and senior high campuses in the Los Angeles Unified School District came under fire from some parents Monday, as the school board agreed to review the task force report.

The task force of medical experts, educators, gay activists and others was appointed more than a year ago to review the district’s AIDS prevention and education strategy.

In its report, the group recommended that the district expand the number of high school health clinics and allow elementary and junior high students to visit the clinics for information on AIDS testing and treatment; spend more time teaching about AIDS prevention and begin with younger students, and consider extending medical benefits to employees’ “domestic partners.”

Dave Johnson, task force co-chairman, acknowledged that there are few cases of “full-blown AIDS” among teen-agers in the district, but said that many infected teen-agers have yet to display symptoms.

The task force’s 78 members were appointed by the board and joined last fall by about 50 parents and others, after one of its meetings was disrupted by an angry group of parents and Christian fundamentalists who complained that the task force was ignoring their views.

“A lot of the things being put forth here are breaking down what parents are trying to teach in the home,” parent Alma Holland told the board Monday. “We don’t need any more school-based clinics. We need to make the parents responsible for doing what they’re supposed to do.”

The board directed Supt. Bill Anton to convene a group of teachers, students, parents, administrators and community residents to develop policy recommendations by Oct. 1.