Posted on 10/22/2007 6:58:52 AM PDT by Invisigoth
Not all parents at Portland, Maine’s King Middle School are outraged that school officials are setting up health clinics that will provide contraceptives to children as young as 11.
Carol Schiller is reportedly elated. She has had a son and a daughter graduate from King, and says those who find it shocking that 11-year-olds have sex should “get over it.”
OK. I’m over it. I know 11-year-olds have sex. My wife and I run a drug/alcohol-prevention group for teens, and the teens are very honest with us about what they do. We are well past the point of finding just about anything shocking.
What is shocking, however, is how poorly the officials at King Middle School are applying their own knowledge of the nature of 11-year-olds to this issue. An 11-year-old cannot get a work permit, cannot get a driver’s license and cannot get a prescription for cold medicine filled without a parent’s permission. In most cases, the 11-year-old cannot even go home after school if his or her parents are working, because he or she is too young to be alone for two hours, which is why latchkey programs were established.
(Excerpt) Read more at northstarwriters.com ...
You owe me a monitor. This one's got coffee on it...
There is a recall effort underway in Portland spearheaded by the Republican Party. They have to come up with 3,000 or 4,000 signatures by the end of the week.
Portland is Democrat and Green Party territory with about 20% registered Republicans.
I noticed condoms are pretty expensive, I was going to have my teenager pick some up for me at school. Maybe I can get my pre-teen to grab some birth control pills as well. That way I too can take advantage of socialized health care.
:-)
“Is carol a single mother”
No, Carol appears to be “married” to another woman since she mentions her wife.
Interesting that this idiot doesn't see a connection between using drugs, alcohol and pre-teen sex.
The only thing you do by giving contraceptives to 11-year-olds is affirm their behavior. I don’t care how many times you say, “I’m not condoning it.” You are. If you equip them to engage in the act, you have condoned it. You can tell yourself otherwise all you want if it makes you feel better.
The author gets it though. It's not that hard to connect the dots.
It is also interesting that the Shiller's are supposed to be counseling children about the evils of drug and alcohol use but end up talking about sex with them. Did the kids bring up the subject? I doubt it. If they did why didn't the adults steer it back to what they were supposed to be there for; prevention of drug and alcohol use? I'm thinking 'watch list' for these two.
Good observation. These adults are trying hard to redirect attention away from their actions and put it back on the children. They're pushing the idea that neither parents nor schools can do anything to get kids to act responsibly and then say the answer is to put all the responsibility on the kid's shoulders by giving them birth control devices/pharms and letting them handle it. Brilliant!
[i]Interesting that this idiot doesn’t see a connection between using drugs, alcohol and pre-teen sex.[/i]
Who you calling an idiot?
The connection is what I work on all the time. It just wasn’t the primary point of this particular column.
TigersEye, I think you are confused about some things.
The person who says “I’m over it” and who works with kids on drug/alcohol prevention is not Carol Schiller. It is me. The person who mentions their wife is not Carol Schiller. It is me. I am the author of the column.
You cite the connection between teen drug/alcohol use and sex - and rightly so - but then wonder why drug/alcohol counselors would be talking to kids about sex?
The question makes no sense, but here is the answer:
Kids get themselves in far more trouble when they’ve been drinking or doing other drugs, because their judgment is even more faulty than would normally be the case for teens.
So we ask them, what are some things you’ve done when you’re drunk or high that you wouldn’t do when your sober?
That’s when we start hearing about their sexual escapades. You can’t deal with substance abuse if you don’t address the behavior side effects.
What for?
Kids are going to do drugs anyway.
She should just get over it.
And the nurse should hand out pharmaceuticals and needles so the kids don't use nasty street drugs.
They should hand out Parliment Light cigarettes to promote safe smoking.
The substance abuse is a side-effect too. I did miss who it was that was the drug/alcohol counselor (I read through too fast) but you can't address any problem until you know what the root cause is.
I skimmed the article but that explains volumes doesn’t it.
I'm sorry about the confusion over who is who in the article. My bad. Your main point was well stated and right on the mark.
I think you may have something there TE. Good post. ~Pandy~
Why post just to me? There are plenty of people thinking its WRONG not just me & posting it too. If I had a child in that school I would pull her or him out asap.
All I said is that it doesn’t shock us. Hardly anything does anymore.
Really? Well get ready for more & more things that won't shock you. To say hardly anything does anymore is silly. Preteen & teens will most certainly find ways to shock you.
Since you are the author...How do the Shiller's do with their counseling children for drug abuse? Please read post #46 by TigersEye. He makes some very good points.
As for condoms I understand you saying the boys won't use them. However when my boys , the oldest now 30 years old came to me I knew he already had sex & I kept a box under the sink filled at all times. I tried the talks about no sex but I also knew that I had to do something & thats what I did. The pill isn't going to stop AIDS & STD's. I would hope that that school does have a health/sex awareness group being taught.
Personally I find this is not what I would want in my child's school. I would take my child out of there so fast. Your article should have been clearer on who is who. Sorry for the mix up. ~Pandora~
Carol Schiller (is that a FAKE name) is way worst than a MORON....she’s DANGEROUS to children’s health and well-being AND SHE’S LEADING STUPID PEOPLE DOWN A HORRIBLE PATH!!
If you are not shocked by 11 year-olds having sex, you have become desensitized.
God help these young kids! The adults around them are certainly not.
There is one good thing happening with all these threads about the pill, gays in schools etc and that is my husband who so far refuses to let me home school is reading them & seeing that the school is a hot bed for bad behavior. I just wish he would hurry up & let me take our child out.
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