| June
2005
Teacher's gay, so they tear down the toilets source: The Electric New Paper, 27 June 2005, by Andre Yeo
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Gay teacher = Aids = Panicky parents?
$40,000 FIX-UP after HIV outcry No infection, yet parents force school to replace items that teacher touched By Andre Yeo Ignorance is bliss, so the saying goes. But for a private school off Upper Thomson Road, ignorance displayed by the parents of its students has proved costly - to the tune of $40,000. |
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NOT CHARGED The teacher was let off with a warning and was not charged, but the police said the school was informed because the man, Mr Paul Fernandez, 42, taught young children. The school, which had 20 students then, said it did not know Mr Fernandez was gay or that he had been arrested. But the parents were aghast. They blamed the school for hiring the man. Four pulled their kids out. (They returned in April, said principal Queenie Tan, 50, because they couldn't find other centres to go to.) Other parents insisted that the teacher not teach their children and must not be in the same room as their kids. 'It put me in a difficult position. It was as good as telling me to remove him,' said Mrs Tan. A month before the ST report, Mr Fernandez had already stopped reporting for work. On 30 Mar, the school's board decided to fire Mr Fernandez. He was informed by letter in April. Mrs Tan stressed they did not fire him because he is gay but because he did not follow the school's guidelines. This included teaching in a classroom with windows so he could be observed. His termination was not enough to pacify the parents. Some wanted the school to replace everything he had touched. Re-paint the school, they said. Replace the toilet bowls. Even throw away the chairs that he sat on. Why? Because they were afraid their kids would get the HIV virus by touching the things the gay teacher had touched. But there is no evidence that Mr Fernandez is HIV positive. Furthermore, there is no way the virus can be transmitted through objects touched by an infected person. As Dr Elly Sabrina Ismail, 35, a general practitioner explained: 'HIV is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids through close bodily contact like during sex. 'A virus can't survive for long when it's exposed to the environment. It's just sheer panic without understanding what it's all about.' But Mrs Tan said 17 parents told her personally that they wanted the renovations carried out anyway. So, in March, the school obliged. It even replaced the teaching aids - like cards and blocks - that Mr Fernandez had used. The school had to order some of the replacements from the UK. It also replaced a microwave oven, hot water flask and toaster Mr Fernandez had used. Even the cupboards were changed. Mrs Tan told the parents personally and via e-mail she would be carrying out the changes. Explaining why they replaced the items, Mrs Tan said: 'We considered the general consensus of the parents. They pointed out that even the Government had banned gay parties and this contributed to the negative feeling they had towards gays.' To allay their fears and concerns, she decided to carry out the renovations even though she admitted it was going overboard. Mrs Tan said the school is only three years old and did not need to be renovated. She said: 'It's a real waste of money. Psychologically, the renovation helps to give the impression that the place is new and fresh. You could say we were paranoid and obsessive, but the parents would say prevention is better than cure.' A parent, who only wanted to be known as Mrs Ong, 46, admitted she was being kiasu. Her 8-year-old son is dyslexic. She said: 'In this day and age of mutating viruses, well, I am just a mum who is concerned for my child. I am a kiasu mother. 'My son still puts things in his mouth and is not aware of what is hygienic and what is not. I was just thinking for my son and the other children.' But does she know that the virus cannot be spread through furniture? Yes, but she's not taking any chances, she said. Mrs Tan added the school needs $100,000 a year and they conduct their own fund-raising. The renovations have put a large dent in its coffers. She said the bulk of the operating cost generally goes towards the salaries of five full-time and three part-time teachers and the monthly $1,500 rental. The school has 15 students now as some left to join mainstream schools. When The New Paper on Sunday telephoned Mr Fernandez on Thursday, his mother said he had left the country two weeks ago. Declining to be named, she said he is unemployed. 'He didn't tell me where he's going,' she said. 'I didn't ask him. He is not a baby. I don't know when he is coming back. This is Paul's matter.' Mrs Tan said this episode will not dissuade her from hiring gays. 'They are still human beings who need a job to survive. How can we ostracise them? 'There are gay teachers in primary and secondary schools and in polytechnics. 'And some are very good teachers.' 
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