Lack of knowledge and misinformation about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a fatal disease with no cure or vaccine, has caused widespread public concern. Education is an effective way to reduce fears and prevent the spread of the disease. Public school personnel must have accurate information about AIDS in order to make suitable responses and decisions. This digest offers a question-answer sequence that defines AIDS and discusses the cause, prevalence, and transmission of the disease as well as preventive measures, implications for the classroom teacher, and policies regarding children with AIDS and public school attendance. (JD)