GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) - The high school where the principal claimed girls formed a pact to get pregnant is one of the few in Massachusetts with a day care center, leading some to wonder whether that sent a message that teen motherhood is OK.
Christopher Farmer, superintendent of the Gloucester school system, said the district would look into whether its day care center, which opened in 1996, somehow contributed to the spike in teen pregnancies from about four a year to 17 this school year.
"Clearly people are saying that it's possible that the presence of the day care center may encourage teenage pregnancy," Farmer said. "Since people have raised the question, clearly it would be wise for us to address the question."
A furor erupted in Gloucester last month after the principal, Joseph Sullivan, told Time magazine that several of the girls had set out to get pregnant and raise their babies together.
Farmer and the city's mayor denied any pact existed, but officials have started an extensive study of teen pregnancy in Gloucester, including a review of the city's sex education programs.
The school system's health education programs have been hit with budget cuts in recent years, and two employees at the high school's health clinic recently resigned after the hospital that controls its funding refused to support a proposal to distribute contraceptives without parental permission.
Fewer than 20 child care centers are located in high schools around Massachusetts. Elsewhere in the country, many urban high schools are adding them.
Farmer said he does not believe the Gloucester High girls considered whether the school had day care when they chose to have their babies. He said that public schools have a responsibility to help young mothers complete their education, and that the center has successfully done that for years.
"We expect people to make mistakes, and educators hope that people learn from mistakes," the superintendent said. "If we as a society think that mistakes made by young people should permanently harm their life chances, than I would worry about that."
Advocates who run these child care centers say they must strike a delicate balance: responding to an undeniable need while avoiding any implication that it is OK for teens to get pregnant.
Diana Makhlouf, director of the teen parenting program at Malden High just outside Boston, said she hears criticism of the school's child care center. But she said many of the young moms did not even know the place existed before they decided to keep their babies.
"We're sort of in a corner in the back of the building and we try to keep a low profile," she said. "Girls are not going out there and getting pregnant just because we're here. It's so much more complex than that."
In Washington, Maria Tukeva, the principal of Bell Multicultural high school, wrestled with her decision to add a day care center a few years ago. She feared that providing free day care might make parenting look easy or desirable. To counter the message, she now asks teen moms to participate in a parenting prevention group.
"It is the right thing to do to take care of these women, to help them succeed, to help them get the best education we can," said Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "We have to be equally as strong in sending a message of preventing future teen pregnancy, about how raising children and having children is an adult activity." Continue >>
Comments
As a young Christian woman I am sadden by this story. The blame does not lay with the school for providing day care, but with the PARENTS and the girls themselves. I was raised in a Christian home by a mother who instilled in me the difference between right and wrong. Buy 15/ 16 years of age my actions were my decision. I admit I did deviate from the path that Jesus laid for me, but in doing so I learned on my own how great and loving HE is! Where were the parents when their babies were out having sex? Where are the Pastors and other Religious leaders? How about the rest of the community? Where are the lines of communication breaking down? We are losing the youth of our nation by not explaining WHY God has dictated that we should save sex for marriage. We are so busy going about our own lives that we are missing the opportunities to spread GOD's love and word to the ones who really need to hear it!
Viking, I am sorry you have had difficulties in ensuring the children are educated and safe. I am glad you have found allies to help you do your job. I wish more parents would be involved in their lives.
I think it is, in part, our society's individual and collective selfishness and laziness and lack of a sense of personal responsibility and lack of honor and lack of morals that contribute to the problems we see in schools nationwide.
wbmoore,
Hi thanks for the clarification I agree with your analysis. As an educator I take my responsibility to you (meaning the community) very seriously. What I find is that I often am in conflict with some parents because I am pursuing the responsibilities you outline. Fortunately I have found enough allies in the communities I have worked to support me in setting higher expectations and standards both academically and behaviorally. Despite the obstacles it is our job to keep the faith and fight the good fight.
I will use a little Tennyson here ignoring the pagan content for its deeper meaning.
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’ 6
We are not now that strength which in old days
Mov’d earth and heaven, that which we are, we are:
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
We should not make it easier for people to sin. But once they have, I think it is the Christian's responsibility to help, not the government. There are natural consequences to our decisions that liberals are trying to ease or remove. In doing so, they encourage further poor behavior.
We need to focus on leading people to Christ and then leading people in spiritual and emotional growth.
JHS SAID:
"Now lets see how the prolife greedy hide behind Jesus crowd is now, they are aginst abortion, lets see what happens when these girls need food stamps, welfare, help with daycare and job training, because while they say they are prolife, they do not want to spend a dime of tax money once the kids are born"
God takes care of his own man!
Psalm 37:25 "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
READ EM AN WEEP JHS! Jesus holds all the cards baby!
Jesus rocks , and gives life to those who ask for it. Babies are not the Problem and God certainly is not. So what is the Problem, if you aint for Jesus then you is the Problem.
Viking,
I still say taking the 10 commandments, and prayer out of school was a mistake. Granted, it probably only hurried along the disintegration of this country's morality and ability to discern truth. But it certainly contributed to the current conditions.
Viking,
I am sorry if my statement led you to believe I as suggesting that parents should give up their rights or responsibilities as concerns their children or their children's morals, behavior, or education.
I am biased toward homeschooling, in part because God has called my family to this. I also teach children's Bible studies. Even so, I do not believe it is the church's responsibility to ensure the children learn the word of God and learn morals and become Christians - THAT is the parent's role. Although I DO believe the church (which gets the children between 1 and 5 hours per week) has the responsibility to provide opportunities for people to learn, to encourage individuals to evangelize and disciple, and to not teach something different than what is taught at home and not teach heresy, and not allow poor behavior.
In the same way, I do not believe schools have the ultimate responsibility to educate my children, nor teach my morals. However, I DO expect the schools (which get the children 6 to 8 hours per day) to educate children with the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, expect good behavior and good morals, and keep them safe from immorality and physical harm.
The schools in Florida and Tennessee are failing in these areas. In part because parents do not want their poor children to suffer emotionally from the consequences of the parents not ensuring their children did the work required to pass a course. In part because some probably well meaning people do not want to harm the children's psyche instead worrying whether little Jimmy is learning to read. Others want to indoctrinate the children with things they have no business doing, such as how little Jimmy has two daddys, rather than teach the three Rs. Schools no longer have the ability to effect discipline nor keep children safe, either physically or morally, nor educate the masses.
Add to this that children have no experience in life and make poor choices and behave poorly and are egocentric and selfish (yes I am not talking about the exceptions). Children should not learn how to act from other children, nor should they learn how to make decisions from other children.
Add to this the fact that children spend almost no time with their parents. Both parents work. The parents expect the schools to teach and ensure the students learn and do the work required to learn, but do not want the schools to discipline the children and do not want to do it themselves.
Add to this that the Bible is not taught in the home, nor in many churches. Add to this that television (which instills inaccurate expectations for life, poor self-image, poor behavior, and poor morals) is the baby sitter.
Overall, I think parents need to step up and do their job to ensure that children learn as they should and act properly. I think the same for communities and schools and churches.
WBmoore,
Hi, here I have to disagree with the thrust of your statement. Perhaps I am biased as a 28 year veteran of public education and current High School principal but having admitted that possible bias let me take a go at this. I believe this statement encourages the abrogation of our responsibility as parents (in my case grandparent now), family members, church members, and community members and pushes our duty into the hands of the state in the form of the schools. Isn't that what Stalin had in mind?
I would say instead.
Parents, Family members, church's and communities used to teach morals, responsibility, citizenship Now none of them are taught. See what happens when we take the prayer, 10 commandments, personal responsibility, and teacher authority out of our homes and communities.
This being said I do not believe the schools should or need be a place barred to God. In my High School it is common to see students wearing clothing and/or jewelry that indicate their religious beliefs. Also we have an ongoing group which meets weekly before the start of school which several local clergy attend (at the flagpole) to pray for the school and the students, Boy scouts, Girl Scouts, Royal rangers and other religiously affiliated organizations use the school facilities on an as requested basis for their weekend and after hour meetings. While teachers and myself are (rightfully) strictly restrained from imposing or inculcating our religious beliefs on the students, the students retain their right to free excercise within the school provided they do not use this as a pretext to interfere with the rights of others.
It may be that this is uncommon elsewhere but it is not considered remarkable here in Maine.
JHS,
Hi when you shift seamlessly when challenged in your castigation of Christians to supporting your arguments by citing "republican" policies you compound your error of unfounded generalization with the error of inaccurate conflation.
In other words though it should be obvious not all Christians are republican and not all republicans are Christian. Not all "Prolifers" are Christian. Not all "prolifers" are Christian. etc.
When you make such emotion based generalizations that denounce whole groups of persons without knowing their positions on issues rather than adressing the substantive matter at hand you engage in demagoguery and add nothing to the efforts to solve these tragic situations.
Children should not learn people skills from children, they have none.
School used to teach morals, responsibility, citizenship, as well as reading, writing, and arithmetics. Now none of them are taught.
See what happens when we take the prayer, 10 commandments, personal responsibility, and teacher authority out of school.
Maybe school is the problem?
http://polemos.net/Home%20Schooling.html
MuggleBorn ,
With all due respect, republicans have slashing funding for these programs for years, and giving to corporate welfare. If it was up the republicans we would not even have these programs, and thats a fact!
On the subject of pro-choice, this brings to mind another argument I remember people giving for being pro-choice ... "Crack" babies.
Back in the 80's it was being publicized that many addicts were bearing children who suffered addictions with them ... but abortion has been available since 1973.
I was involved in a couple discussions on separate occasions with different people who talking about the need for abortions. When I pointed out that these women had services available and "chose" to give birth, it was suggested to me by each person (in similar words) that the women were "not in their right mind to make such an important decision" ... and that the "choice" should have been surrendered to a family member ... OR A DOCTOR ... what did THAT imply?
JHS,
It's interesting that you make implications of "greediness" against Christians who believe that people are people, whether or not they're still in the womb.
I've never heard a Christian ever say that it was wrong to provide tax dollars or charity to unwed mothers and their children. As believer mentioned, there are organizations that exist (Some Christian-based) that do not discriminate in their charity efforts.
By bringing up greediness, which has nothing to do with being pro-life, you open yourself up to the suspicion that your motives behind pro-choice ideals is to provide a cheap alternative to welfare.
Are you positive your not transferring this attitude to others in an attempt to justify a selfish motive?
Let's not forget that these young women allegedly CHOSE to GIVE BIRTH ... not to get pregnant and run out to terminate their pregnancies; so in this case provisions for abortion procedures don't even apply ... be careful where you tread.