My View
What Ryan White Taught Me about a COVID-19 Reopening
BY C. TODD CUMMINGS/School Administrator, November 2021

THIS YEAR MARKS the 31st anniversary of the passing of Ryan White. For those old enough to remember the grim and scary days of news reports about AIDS, the silence of the Reagan White House and the lack of clear information surrounding HIV/AIDS transmission, teenager Ryan and his fight to stay enrolled in school feels like an unearthed time capsule in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After he died from AIDS at 18 in 1990, Jeanne White-Ginder donated all the contents of her young son’s bedroom and notably the fan letters he received to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. The donation was in preparation for an exhibit titled “The Power of Children” highlighting Ryan’s life and struggle to attend school.

I was a young doctoral student in education when I happened upon the treasure trove of Ryan White’s fan mail and the sympathy notes to his mother. What I learned all those years ago, reading, rereading, categorizing and analyzing nearly 4,500 pieces of hand-written correspondence would guide my thinking as a superintendent reopening our school district during COVID-19.

The letters, composed following Ryan’s frequent television appearances, interviews in popular magazines and the film “The Ryan White Story,” highlighted thousands of men and women on the front lines of an epidemic as well as those struggling to overcome stigma and prejudice. Politically, schools in the United States faced tough decisions on how to enroll students with HIV/AIDS and were left to flail alone and dictate their own policy.

Applicable Guidance

Given the context, lack of government action and the fear of an illness few understood, the lessons seem connected from one public health crisis to another, and they guided my team and me as we faced the ravaging coronavirus pandemic.

»Collaborate with the best medical minds.

Superintendents called upon to enroll students with HIV/AIDS earned respect by appearing with medical professionals and using their messaging. This was a time with few precautions and even more misinformation about transmission. Parents and staff were seeking reassurances when facing students with HIV/AIDS in classrooms.

Today, state and local boards of health have been key partners in providing cover and support for schools facing reopening. Our district’s own reaction to COVID-19 was assuaged by our local health department doctors in South Bend, Ind. We even invited them to take questions at school board meetings. We hosted a stakeholder group weekly to manage the data and communication about our COVID-19 plans.

»Communicate constantly.

If Ryan’s legacy can be boiled down to one thing, it is the importance of communication. His discussion of HIV/AIDS eased stigma. When Ryan appeared in magazines and on television, he was able to pass along accurate, pertinent information about transmission and risk. He became a conduit for those struggling with fear and misinformation.

Our district leadership has communicated like never before during the pandemic. We used social media, such as “Talks with Todd” on Facebook Live to answer real-time questions. We also posted a video each Friday and shared updated messages about safety, food delivery and Wi-Fi access through use of a districtwide dialer.

»Show empathy.

The stigma about disease changes with our interaction. We become conscientious with testing and positivity. Fear is real, and we are touched by losses of friends or loved ones. It is easy to get caught in the trap of language: sick, well, positive, negative, clean, unclean — all of the labels that plagued those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

The publicity and sensational nature of Ryan’s case made confidentiality nearly impossible. His school, local post office and friends freely gave away Ryan’s address, phone number and often his whereabouts.

We struggled to assure confidentiality during COVID-19, maintaining privacy even when asking staff members to quarantine. Only a few senior staff members had access to this information.

»Manage the detractors.

Not all of Ryan and Jeanne’s fan mail was positive. Some letters were uninformed, mean and even creepy. As superintendents, we are besieged by reams of e-mail. Be prepared for detractors. Not everyone will believe your message regardless of how grounded it is in medical science, how focused you are in communicating, how empathetic you are or how you plan to manage naysayers.

TODD CUMMINGS is the superintendent of South Bend Schools in South Bend, Ind. Twitter: @drtoddc