By Garwin Davis, Assistant News Editor 
A ST. ANN teacher has accused his former school of discrimination, charging that he was forced out of his job because of concerns among school officials that he might have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
According to the teacher, whose identity is being withheld to protect his privacy, over the past couple of months, he has had to endure widespread speculations about his health at the school in St. Ann.
He charged that Dr Osmond Tomlinson Jnr., chairman of the board, had "hounded him" to do an HIV test.
"I was constantly badgered about doing this test by Dr. Tomlinson," the teacher charged, during an interview with The Gleaner last Sunday. "He pretty much gave me an ultimatum -- either I did the test or risked being fired."
Dr. Tomlinson has, however, denied forcing the teacher to do an HIV test or threatening to fire him.
According to the teacher, he was "summoned" a few weeks ago to the school chairman's private office in Ocho Rios where "he told me that he has to deal with HIV patients on a daily basis and he was 200 per cent sure that I have the virus. He demanded I did the test there and then, to which I refused."
The teacher said subsequent "badgering and whisperings" developed to the point where he felt "like I was going to lose my mind," and so he consented to do a test. But, according to him, that was only the beginning of his troubles. "I gave the principal of the school the test result which came back negative," he said.
"She told me she had no idea the chairman had put me under so much pressure and recommended that I take a week off to rest. I did. I learnt a few days later, though, through somebody at the school, that there was a discrepancy with the test result and that I would be fired. I contacted the school and was called to a meeting with the principal and the chairman last Friday. I was told they had made checks with the lab where I supposedly did the test and that they had reliable evidence that I had misrepresented the facts. They accused me of gross professional misconduct, failing to follow directives from the chairman and being a threat to the welfare of the students. I was then told I could either resign, where I would be given a month's pay, or be fired without getting anything -- Reluctantly, I resigned."
Asked if his position wouldn't have been stronger if he had allowed the school to fire him, he said, "I have rent to pay and other outstanding bills -- I couldn't afford to give up a month's salary."
He added that the fact that the school had to call to check on the validity of his result, only add credence to his belief that nothing but a positive test result would have satisfied officials.
"There has to be something fundamentally wrong with people calling to check on a HIV result, which is a private matter," he reasoned. "For them to call only shows that they are convinced I am HIV positive. What they have done to me is nothing short of disgraceful."
The school administration has, however, painted an entirely different picture.
According to Dr. Tomlinson, at no time was the teacher pressured to do an HIV test. He, in turn, charged that the accusation was simply "the rantings" of a disgruntled employee.
"I was very meticulous about everything I did," he said.
"Parents had come to me with concerns about his health, something I must admit I was also worried about too. He had lost a significant amount of weight and there were also other signs that all was not well with him. I approached him not in my position as chairman but as a doctor and also as someone who was concerned about his well-being. He told me nothing was wrong with him and that he could prove it. I never tried to coerce him into anything or threatened him in any way. As a matter of fact, I have no problems in telling you that I thought he was a very good teacher and someone we were happy to have had on staff," Dr. Tomlinson said. He said his only regret was that he did not get anybody else involved in the discussions as it is now basically his (Tomlinson's word) against the teacher's.
Dr. Tomlinson said the teacher had volunteered to do the HIV test and was only asked to resign when their investigations revealed someone else had taken the test for him.
"The entire board agreed his actions were dishonour-able and that he had to go," Dr. Tomlinson said. "There was nothing malicious in our actions. It was never a question of whether he had HIV -- it was simply a case of him knowingly doing something which I am not yet sure is not illegal. What he did was very deceptive and there is no way we could keep him on staff. When challenged, he opted to resign."
Principal of the school, Dr. Carol Dicassio, agreed. Accor-ding to her, the teacher was advised to "get himself checked out" only after there was a noticeable change in his physical appearance. "I do not discriminate," she said. "I am from England where that type of thing is prohibited. The first time I heard HIV being mentioned was when he brought a test result to me."
Mrs. Dicassio said since last September, she has instituted a rule where teachers were required to do a medical exam. "He was the only one without anything on file," she said.
But the principal's comments are being challenged by several persons affiliated with the school.
"I don't know of any such policy where teachers are asked to do a medical," explained Karl Brent-Harris, former teacher. "I was there until November of last year and I was not aware of such a policy." Another teacher who is currently at the school agreed.
"This guy was singled out and they are simply trying to cover their tracks. What they have done to him is disgraceful."
Theresa Hamilton, a former teacher and at least two parents, have spoken highly of the teacher's abilities.
"He is an excellent teacher," declared Georgette Dunn, a parent. "I don't see how he could be faulted on performance."
Added Charmaine Beam: "Under this teacher, my child is now reading better and also speaking properly -- he is very involved with the students and was an asset to the school."
Former principal, Esther Garrick, said that during her tenure, she has had no problem with the teacher, who she described as an excellent performer. "Despite living a good distance away from the school, he was always the first to arrive," she said. "He was also very involved and one who paid special attention to details."
