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Beginning on March 1, the clinic Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut runs in the high school will begin offering condoms and birth control prescriptions, the Day of New London reports.
Supt. Nicholas Fischer told the Day that providing contraceptives in the school would help address the high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease among New London teens.
"Our plan is to go ahead with this unless we face substantial opposition from the board," Fischer told the newspaper.
Sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy were identified as major reproductive health issues in New London and the Ledge Light Health District released a report in 2010 saying chlamydia infection rates in New London were higher than U.S. rates. They also found rates of gonorrhea to be high.
The study found that rates were declining, but “failure to sustain or improve STD and teen pregnancy prevention efforts that are currently in place in New London may result in rebounding rates.”
The Day reports that the school asked the Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut to begin offering condoms and birth control prescriptions.
Parents must give permission for their children to use the clinic within the school.
"This is an important step forward," Morse told the Day. "If we can help students take care of their health issues, without them having to go to Planned Parenthood or somewhere else, it'll be a lot easier for them to take care of their academic issues."
The issue will be discussed during the board of education meeting on Thursday, the Day reports.
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Wow.....talk about lowering the standards. Rather than address PREVENTING casual sex and sex outside of marriage, let's ENCOURAGE it by offering condoms and birth control pills!! Pathetic leadership and complete lack of concern for the good of those kids.
They are not encouraging it. Students are gonna have sex no matter how mad it makes you. The best thing to do is offer help where help is needed and not turn these kids away.
This is great! Hopefully the bible thumpers can stay out of this issue long enough to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs for some students.
This is not great. It's encouraging teenagers to do things they have no business doing. And it's teaching them to be selfish - they get what they want without having to deal with the consequences. This nation is becoming pathetic.
Oh, and it's spelled capital B-i-b-l-e capital T-h-u-m-p-e-r-s. And not all Christians believe birth control to be bad, and not all non-Christians believe it to be good.
You can't change the mindset, so why not prepare them? Birth control isn't dodging out on consequences, it's making responsible decisions about your body.
It's not encouraging anybody to have sex, they are encouraging safety. People are going to have sex if they want to have it, or they are going to abstain from it. I personally would prefer to hear a story about a school clinic handing out condoms verses hearing one about another teenager leaving a baby in a dumpster. And don't forget, the parents have to sign permission for their child to use the clinic.
Good for them. The new generation is already how it is, and there is no way to revert back to the ideals that were established before. It's better to offer actual sexual education instead of promoting abstinence which has no power in younger generations anymore. This way, at least the kids are well aware of the consequences, and given options to take action against them instead of doing something that could close a lot of doors for them in relationships and careers later on in life. Not bashing pregnancy or having chidren young, but not everyone is ready for that emotional tie or the potential stds that comes with casual sex.
Way to go, school. It's nice to see people adapting to the changing times instead of just hoping it goes back the way it was.