Posted on 08/27/2002 12:36:55 PM PDT by toenail
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A North Hudson resident has asked for the board of education to review the school district's policy on reporting incidents of sexually active students. Darla Meyers took the opportunity provided in the agenda for citizens to speak at the board's regular meeting last Tuesday (Aug. 13). |
Meyers appeared as a representative of Priests for Life of Staten Island, N.Y., and Life Dynamics of Denton, Texas, two groups that are collaborating on a project to block access by Planned Parenthood to schools across the nation. The move is called Child Protection Project. An explanation of the project on the Priests for Life Web site said that by blocking Planned Parenthood's access to schools its funding would be reduced. Meyers was seeking an explanation on the district's policy on reporting child abuse. District administrators responded that the board complies with state statute, and its policy reflects it. Superintendent Ron Bernth said that the district does not send students to Planned Parenthood. "We do not refer, we provide information for self-referral," Bernth said. "Any cases of suspected abuse or neglect are reported to St. Croix County Health and Human Services," he added. Nancy Sweet, director of pupil services, said that the district also follows guidelines from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in regard to reporting sexually active adolescents. The DPI guidelines are included in a 10-page memorandum that explores state statutes on the matter in tedious detail. Under Wisconsin statute, the consensual sexual activity of the typical 16- or 17-year-old does not come under a child abuse definition, and there is no requirement or authority for reporting such activity, the DPI memo said. Sweet said that Wisconsin statute provides an exception to the reporting requirement that allows students to obtain confidential health care services. "Our curriculum is abstinence-based," Sweet said. "A privileged communication statute applies to school counselors and pupil services staff," she added. The director said that her staff does not refer students to outside services for anything, but rather offers information for self-referral. Sweet said as far as she could determine, the nearest Planned Parenthood facility is in Eau Claire Congress and 10 states, including Wisconsin, have considered legislation that would require parents be informed if their children are seeking prescribed contraceptives. A study conducted at Planned Parenthood clinics in Wisconsin surveyed 950 girls ages 12-17. The results found that 59 percent of those questioned would delay testing or treatment for AIDs or other sexually transmitted diseases if such a law were enacted, a report said. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reported that 99 percent of the girls surveyed said they would have unprotected sex or just use condoms if they couldn't get prescribed contraceptives. |
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©The Hudson Star-Observer 2002
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See also the The Wisconsin Plan to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancy (Jan 1998):
"The connection between sexual abuse and early sexual activity, frequently leading to pregnancy, is clear. Many teen moms are victims who have been preyed upon by adult males. Aggressive action must be taken both by sending a clear message that this will not be tolerated and ensuring that the laws put into place to protect our children are enforced."
Child Abuse and Neglect, State Statute Series: Current Trends in Child Maltreatment Reporting Laws (HHS, 1999) [Adobe Acrobat PDF file] -- three years old, but the statutes are easier to find with these citations.
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