Pregnancy School - Controversy

Controversy

As of 2010, Parenthood is the leading cause of teen girl dropout rates. With a statistic like that, educators needed to find a remedy to help young women work for high school diplomas, while still being prepared for parenthood. Also the necessity for these women to be educated bears more weight than one would think. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy stresses that children of uneducated parents are more likely to drop out of school themselves. “The relationship between education and teen pregnancy works both ways. That is, teen pregnancy often has a negative impact on education...” However they continue to argue that the problem is self healing. If these women can stay on the educational track they would consequently have more success, despite their first unplanned pregnancy, “It is also the case that school achievement, attendance, and involvement helps reduce the risk of teen pregnancy. Put another way, staying in school and getting an education helps prevent teen pregnancy”. With rising teen pregnancy rates, some institutions have taken action in other ways like this Louisiana Charter school who mandated pregnancy tests for all their female students before resuming school in the fall. In 2012 Delhi Charter School was made to drop its classroom ban on pregnant students and the ability to mandate pregnancy tests for students suspected of being pregnant on the grounds that the tests were an invasion of privacy. The schools are overwhelmed with the problem and are trying to find solutions for handling these situations. However researchers caution schools about how to handle pregnant students because according to the ACLU, 70 percent of teen moms leave school, in part because of illegal discrimination. Another strong minority of people have taken action by developing these pregnancy schools. Arguing that what these teen mom's need is not fear and rejection from the school system, but support and a safe environment to learn in that caters to their unique situation that is slowly becoming more common. Cope Center North, a school in Miami, FL uses this quote by Maya Angelou to explain, "You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise." This school is not only an educational program, but a fully functioning medical center for pregnant teens so they can stay in school and still make appointments for the pre and post natal care they need while having the ability to maintain perfect attendance in all their classes.