Education Institution a Catch All Institution?

Regarding the "Sound Off and Be Heard" post asking for input on thoughts about "Teen Birth Rates on the Rise".

Someone posted a link to this article regarding school counselors asking that teens get maternity leave from school after giving birth.

Several points can be made using this article. I will start from the top, first with a quote from the article and then my comments and questions (C&Q).

"Pregnant students in a Denver high school are asking for at least four weeks of maternity leave so they can heal, bond with their newborns and not be penalized with unexcused absences"

C&Q: Absent from class is absent from class. What other circumstances are excused?
Would the School District provide home schooling during this time?
Would the father, if a student, be afforded time to bond with his newborn?
Would the School District be compelled to compel the father to bond with his newborn?
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"The request is unusual in Colorado's public schools, where districts tend to deal with pregnant students or new moms with specialized programs or individualized education plans."

C&Q: As used in this context, what student should not get an individualized education plan as each student is unique. This terminology should not be confused with Special Education Law that defines an individualized education plan. True educators know the many ingredients needed to make an IEP. Too many "educators" have a misconception of what an IEP is. My best advice is to read the definition yourself and not depend on homespun definitions of money saving convenience.

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"It's critical that these young women have a chance to bond with their babies," Moss said. "Maybe we do need a policy. Clearly, as a district, we have to look at what is going on with our young women. We've got to look at the birth-control issues and teen pregnancy and how we best help them deal with it and still graduate."

C&Q: A policy. Focused on pregnant women. It takes two to have a kid. Perhaps the school system is perpetuating a significant cause of pregnancy by excluding the male partner in birth-control issues and teen pregnancy and rearing responsibilities. If the school system isn't going to develop policies for student fathers, why not?

Or, does any one ask if these teens just simply want to get pregnant? They may be saying no to please others, but what if they really want to get pregnant for what could be many reasons beyond sexual gratification. If so, will the school district be able to address that issue?

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"Denver has one of the highest teen-pregnancy rates in the state."

C&Q: This is interesting. Does anyone know why this is? If the school district assumes it can change this statistic, do they know they are not a reason for it?

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"The district has a school for pregnant teens and new moms, Florence Crittenton School, but it has a waiting list. Plus, many students want to remain at the school where they started, said Head, the counselor at East.

Cherry Creek, Adams 12, Jefferson County and Douglas County school districts have policies in which students work with counselors and principals to devise plans that will keep them in school.

Several districts have special schools with child-care services for new moms. Others have programs that allow students to receive high-school credit.

"When a girl tells us she is pregnant, we advise her to work one on one with her counselor and go from there to see what they can work out," said Michelle Ancell, spokeswoman for Cherry Creek Schools.

"The counselor plays middleman between the principal and the student," said Melissa Reeves of Jefferson County Schools, who added that the district has started a computer-based credit-recovery program that students can use during evening hours.

Douglas County has had a program for 19 years called WINGS, or Winning in New Growth Situations, that offers support and instruction for the girls once a week, allowing them to earn elective credits in nutrition and parenting. The program has 20 students, said coordinator Susan Anderson.

The district has a school that begins at 4:30 p.m. for new parents that is attached to Highlands Ranch High School. Students also are able to stay in their schools, but that is not easy for many new moms...."

C&Q: All of these services. Some for 19 years. Might give some credence to the previous question.

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And last but not least, the question arises:

"If there are young mothers asking for maternity leave, the board should listen to them," said Lori Casillas, executive director of the Colorado Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting, and Prevention. "If they think it is a barrier to graduation, the board should look at that."

Her organization advocates that schools provide child-care services for new moms. Too many girls drop out after giving birth, and schools must do something to keep them, Casillas said.

Students at one high school in southern Colorado wanted to set up a child-care center, but the principal forbade it, saying it would encourage teen pregnancy, she said.

"There is no evidence that has ever happened," Casillas said. "I don't think schools have been proactive at creating policies that encourage young mothers to remain in school. Schools need to say, 'What if you do come back, then what?'

"Schools need to say, 'This is what we do to support your learning.' That's not happening."

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C&Q: Which side of this issue is the principal who thinks setting up a child-care center would encourage teen pregnancy come down on? Could this be the same argument used by those who say that teaching birth control encourages sexual activity which leads to pregnancy? Is teen pregnancy related to moral upbringing and other factors that public education systems shy away from? Or does any of these issues have any effect on the real reason that teen pregnancy is increasing?

Whats that young Spears girl's name? You know, the one that has a TV show and has the famous sister that can't afford underwear.