Senator Ted Kennedy, Chairman

Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee

428 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Kennedy,

On behalf of the National Organizations Responding to AIDS (NORA) coalition, we are writing to you to express our strong opposition to the Tiahrt/Graham amendment that was recently incorporated in the House version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization. NORA is a coalition comprised of over 175 health, labor, religious, professional, and advocacy groups that represent a broad consensus on HIV- and AIDS-related policy, legislation, and funding.

The Tiahrt/Graham amendment would require prior written consent before a minor can receive virtually any health service in any school setting, effectively eliminating confidential access to a wide array of physical and mental health care services, including HIV and other sexually transmitted disease prevention efforts.

Currently, young people between the ages of 13 and 24 make up half of new HIV infections in this country. It is unconscionable that as nation, we would withhold life-saving counseling or advice to our youth, while 20,000 young people become newly infected with HIV each year.

The language of this amendment is so broadly written – covering any activity that "might cause" access to health care – it would discourage the even the most basic counsel and advice that students routinely seek from nurses, guidance counselors, teachers, and principals. If this language is included in the final legislation, a school nurse would be prohibited from merely providing a phone number to a student who asked about HIV testing or substance abuse counseling.

NORA urges you to oppose the inclusion of the Tiahrt/Graham language in the final conference report for the legislation reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Sincerely,

Terje Anderson, Co-Chair              Javier Salazar, Co-Chair