Perceptions of Florida's superintendents and school board chairpersons regarding the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

The problem investigated in this study was the comparison of the perceptions of Florida's superintendents of schools with those perceptions held by public school board chairpersons toward AIDS with respect to six particular variables of concern: (a) knowledge of the subject of AIDS, (b) personal biases, (c) students' rights, (d) employment policies, (e) operational guidelines, and (f) curriculum. The evaluation instrument was a 40-item questionnaire constructed using a five point Likert-type scale. A numerical weighting of 1-5 was used to determine the strength of the responses. A high score revealed a negative perception about a question, while a low score indicated a positive perception. A questionnaire packet was mailed out to each of Florida's 67 superintendents of schools and 67 public school board chairpersons. Completed questionnaires were received from 19 of the state's 20 appointed superintendents, from 38 of the state's elected superintendents, from 17 Republican chairpersons, and from 37 Democratic chairpersons. Analysis of data revealed: (a) appointed superintendents were more willing to work in close proximity to someone with AIDS than were elected superintendents; (b) appointed superintendents were less willing to send students with AIDS to a special school comprised of other students with AIDS-related symptoms than were elected superintendents; (c) Republican board chairpersons had a stronger belief than did Democratic chairpersons that their knowledge of the causes and spread of AIDS was sufficient to allow them to converse with parents who may at times address the school board at meetings; and (d) school board chairpersons from small and medium sized districts felt more strongly than did the chairpersons from large districts that all students should be tested for the AIDS virus before being allowed to enroll in public school each year. The following conclusions were reached. A pyramidal diagram of the hierarchy of political vulnerability and issue voting astuteness possessed by school board members, appointed superintendents and elected superintendents, revealed that school board members are at the apex, the elected superintendents in the middle and the appointed superintendent at the base of the pyramid. Elected superintendents from small and medium sized districts are more politically conscious of their decisions and perceptions than are elected superintendents from large school districts. Recommendations for future, related investigations are presented.