Paraprofessional suing school system after
contracting hepatitis

A paraprofessional from the New York City public school system who contracted hepatitis C on the job is suing the New York City Department of Education for failing to properly protect her from the disease.

Lori Baron is a member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and has worked with special education students at Beach Channel High School for 11 years. She contracted hepatitis C from two students who scratched and bit her. She suffered the symptoms of the virus for four years before doctors trained in occupational safety finally were able to make the diagnosis in 2003. Baron is seeking compensation for the five months she had to take off from her job to undergo treatment.

“These students are wonderful; however, some self-mutilate, some bite, some are very aggressive. This is part of their special medical condition,” Baron says.

“Lori is sick because of the neglect and indifference of the Department of Education,” UFT president Randi Weingarten says. “Educators are not being adequately trained. They are not routinely being offered the hepatitis vaccine.”

The UFT is demanding that the department protect educators at risk of exposure to life-threatening pathogens in blood or bodily fluid. According to Weingarten, the department is not complying with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and New York State guidelines that require employers (like hospitals and schools) to provide training and protective clothing (such as latex gloves) to workers at risk of being exposed to blood-borne pathogens in the course of their duties.

“The Board of Education routinely ignores these standards,” Weingarten says. “As a result, both staff, and in some instances, children, have gotten sick.”