Posted on 06/13/2007 8:17:35 AM PDT by nckerr
MANCHESTER, N.H. - The city school board ordered an investigation into an after-school program run by the YMCA in which some middle school students were taken to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic.
New Hampshire Right to Life, an abortion opponent, is now asking for equal time with the seventh and eighth grade students, as well.
The visit was part of the YMCA's STAY program, for students considered at risk of dropping out of school, abusing drugs or getting into trouble with the law. The trip, a week ago, was part of a tour of several social service agencies in the city, to show the students where they could go for support and recreation during the summer.
The school board voted Tuesday to investigate how the decision to visit Planned Parenthood was made and determine whether anyone should be disciplined.
The Planned Parenthood educator who met with the students, Anne Johnson, said she never mentioned abortion, but Darlene Pawlik, New Hampshire Right to Life, said the subject was obvious.
"Everybody knows Planned Parenthood performs abortions," she said. "There were protesters outside with signs saying 'Babies killed here.' There's no mistaking that (the students) have already been exposed to the issue."
Schools Superintendent Michael Ludwell said he would need to see a formal, written request from New Hampshire Right to Life before deciding whether a representative would meet with the students.
Ludwell said he hoped to finish an internal investigation by the end of the week and meet with the YMCA president to draw up new program guidelines, but overall he defended the STAY program.
"We have had a very long and, prior to this incident, a very positive relationship," he said.
I don’t know why this would surprise anyone familiar with public schools.
Here we go again with the public school is bad chant. Please don’t lump all public schools together. If your local public school is not up to your standards then actively do something about it or move into a decent district. There’s plenty of good schools out there where there are no gangs and every kid isn’t stoned. I know, we send our children to one and we volunteer at it. Besides, it’s not just the occassional teacher who gets their jollies with a young person, but preachers and mayors and scout leaders and other leaders of the community.
No doubt there are good public schools, as well as good public school teachers, but they seem more and more rare as the years go by. And in addition to that, I don’t think I would trust even the best public schools not to pull something like this on occasion. No matter how involved parents are, their oversight is limited once they drop the kids off.
I guess what it comes down to for me as a homeschooler is my belief that the education of my children should be under my authority, and that the institutional model for public schools is faulty at the core - dept of Ed should be abolished, most fed money is wasted, etc...although I do commend and admire your efforts to be as proactive as possible. No doubt you are a valuable part of your kids’ schools. :)
It’s a matter of personal conviction and choice - I have friends with kids in public schools whom I want my own kids to emulate - great, godly kids...’course our local district is a good one too!...but we homeschool anyway. Just something I feel very strongly about.
nckerr - God bless your efforts! You should get on metmom’s/daveloneranger’s homeschool ping lists - some good stuff there and support.
I pinged another thread about this earlier; yesterday I think.
The district we live in is good by public school standards; it’s not heavily PC, allows squirt guns the last couple days of school, the teachers carry pocket knives, no condoms on produce, no one sent home for wearing Christian or patriotic shirts, dress code of some kind, yet there are issues.
Thanks, musta missed that thread. :)
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