A Taipei elementary school yesterday dismissed a male teacher after he was detained by prosecutors on Wednesday night for allegedly having unprotected sex with male netizens despite alledgedly having AIDS, the Taipei City Department of Education said.
The teacher, surnamed Feng (馮), has been on unpaid leave since September after an anonymous informant told the school that he has AIDS.
Earlier this week, the Taipei City Police Department seized various types of drugs in a raid and said it discovered that Feng had unprotected sex with at least five men he met on gay Web sites although he has AIDS.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office detained Feng on Wednesday night over allegations that he spread AIDS intentionally and has launched a probe into Feng’s sexual relations. Prosecutors said there could be more than 100 people who had sex with Feng without knowing that he has AIDS.
Department of Education Deputy Commissioner Tseng Tsan-chin (曾燦金) said the elementary school immediately held a review meeting after Feng was detained and decided yesterday to revoke his employment contract.
He said the department had received an anonymous tipoff about the teacher’s alleged situation in September, but did not initiate a probe in order to protect the rights of the teacher, in accordance with the law.
“We will also ask prosecutors to provide related evidence to help the school and the department handle the issue,” Tseng said.
The department said an initial investigation found no victims at the school, but that it would continue to probe the matter. The school has set up a special team to provide counseling services if any students or parents require them, he said.
The Taipei City Department of Health said it would hold a cross-departmental meeting to discuss AIDS and drug prevention measures at schools and in the workplace following the case.
Chu Yu-ju (朱玉如), director of the department’s Centers for Disease Control, said schools and workplaces should continue to protect the rights of people who have AIDS in accordance with the law and not reveal their names, medical records or other personal information.
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