Kontan Jou

My oldest is ten, soon to be eleven. If she was attending school in Portland, Maine she would start school later in the year and go well into June. She wouldn’t be thrilled with this, but it would be natural for the area and acceptable to her. Children amaze me with their acceptance of what they are told. Early September I wrote about the power of an educator…or you. Most of the time what the teacher says is true, no matter what. What power. What influence. Educators have become the all in one provider for some students. It shouldn’t be that way, but sadly, in so many cases it is.

Students look up to their teachers, administrators, and school staff. They see adults who are working hard to educate them and who will even provide a listening ear or shoulder for their burdens. Almost everyday I have a student ask to go to the nurse for a reason that seems so benign. They want the attention that she provides. It makes them feel good when someone cares. Today, and several days in the past, I had a student ask to go to the administrator because she was having problems with another student. She looks up to him and gains assurance from his guidance and discipline. I don’t think it is something she gets at home. Sadly many students come to school simply to receive a meal and be around people that care about them.

If my ten, soon to be eleven, year old happened to attend school in Maine I’m sure she would experience the caring nature of her school administrators, teachers, and staff. This is great, but she would also have access to something else that does not reassure me and does not make me happy. She, my ten soon to be eleven, year old would have access to birth control and she wouldn’t have to tell me about it.

Yes, according to this article, middle school age children in Portland, Maine will have access to birth control and informing the parent is optional. What the snot is wrong with this picture?!?! It’s enough to make me want to yank her out and homeschool!

PORTLAND, Maine — Pupils at a city middle school will be able to get birth control pills and patches at their student health center after the local school board approved the proposal Wednesday evening.

The plan, offered by city health officials, makes King Middle School the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available to students in grades 6 through 8, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

There are no national figures on how many middle schools, where most students range in age from 11 to 13, provide such services…Those who favored the plan said it isn’t about encouraging premature sex, but protecting kids who don’t have strong support from their parents.

“Unfortunately, not every child is getting the kind of parental involvement that is going to help keep them safe,” said Richard Verrier…At King Middle School, birth control prescriptions will be given after a student undergoes a physical exam by a physician or nurse practitioner, said Lisa Belanger, who oversees Portland’s student health centers.

Students treated at the centers must first get written parental permission, but under state law such treatment is confidential, and students decide for themselves whether to tell their parents about the services they receive.

No, not every child has parental involvement at home. Not every child has someone telling them that sex can be dangerous. Not every child has someone saying you are too young. So what does this school do? Not fund an education program. No, they plan to examine and prescribe birth control. You know, chemical birth control is not 100% safe and I bet that it can even be damaging to the developing female system of a middle school girl!

The schools have become the all-in-one for students and it is getting ridiculous. Yes, some middle schoolers are having sex. No, I am not an “abstinence only” supporter. I don’t think it is realistic to teach abstinence only because you have students having sex and they need to know the dangers and how to protect themselves. I think they should be taught that abstinence is emotionally, physically, and socially best…but I am realistic enough to accept that some will be having sex and need to know that protection is a must. Yes, they should be taught that they are too young. Don’t get me wrong, I do not advocate teaching them that sex at a young age is acceptable, safe, or OK. I also don’t think it is OK to treat them medically without the permission of the parents, however irresponsible they may be! If they are that irresponsible remove the child from the home and deal with it through social services.

Goodness gracious alive I can not fathom the idea of my ten, soon to be eleven, year old having an exam to get birth control and NO ONE TELLING ME SHE IS SEXUALLY ACTIVE OR CONTEMPLATING IT!!! HELLO! This is information that I need to educate her! Most people assume that pre and early teens is too soon to discuss abstinence and such. Younger and younger…shocking isn’t it?

The idea of a school system providing birth control opportunities just floors me. EDUCATE the children, not offer medical treatment. Provide a safe environment for learning, not a Rx for the patch. (WHICH IS NOT SAFE BTW!)

Are my semi-conservative views clouding my judgment here? Am I wrong to think that this is not the right or place of the school? I just can’t see that I am. I know that many parents are irresponsible and don’t work to raise their children. It just seems that this particular ruling is overstepping the bounds of even bad parenting.