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Teen pregnancy is still on the rise and has become a severe local issue. Most girls at these ages are stressed out and confused about how they will take care of the baby. “How am I going to raise this baby? I don’t even know how to raise myself,” said Christina Santos, 18, a graduate from Perth Amboy High School in 2009.
Only about half of young teen mothers (age 17 and younger) graduate from high school and fewer than 2% earn a college degree by age 30. Children of teen mothers do worse in school than those born to older parents. They are 50% more likely to repeat a grade and are less likely to complete high school than the children of older mothers; they also have lower performance on standardized tests.
In 2006 there was a reported 100 teen births which rose to 115 teen births in 2007 in Perth Amboy. Last year Perth Amboy High School recorded at least 30 teen pregnancies within the school, which was a stunning increase of 50% from the previous year. This year, there were 83 girls who were reported pregnant, which is more than double the amount from last year.
Disagreements about Teen Pregnancy Awareness in Perth Amboy • Many people believe that having sex education classes in school promotes sexual intercourse itself. • Some see it as, if it isn't spoken of, it won't happen. • Unfortunately, it is going to happen whether our school systems educate the students or not. • At least with sex education, pregnancy awareness, and forms of contraception, students will know the right ways to come about it and can practice safe sex.
WHY SHOULD THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, COMMUNITY AND LOCAL MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT GET INVOLVED IN TEEN PREGNANCY AWARENESS?
Involvement with Teen Pregnancy Awareness • The school system should become involved with making teens more aware of teen pregnancies by mandating sexual education classes to inform these kids on other alternatives. • The community, and local municipal organizations should become more involved due to the fact that kids can not raise kids. They are neither physically nor mentally prepared as an adult would be and thus raising more delinquent children. • The goverment should become involved more because those that work are having taxes taken from their pay in order to help support these children, which is ultimately unfair.
Panel Two Alternative Policies
Fred Valenzuela - Brandie Jimenez - Raynny Jimenez - Maria Hoyos
ALTERNATIVE POLICY #1 AMPLIFY YOUR VOICE
ALTERNATIVE POLICY #2TO DEVELOP A PARTNERSHIP AND OUTREACH TONEW JERSEY'S PLANNED PARENTHOOD ORGANIZATION. There should be a counselor from planned parenthood who can talk to teenagers about sex related issues and concerns. This will give students a reliable "friend" to go to when they are in need. The main planned parenthood building should be established in Perth Amboy where kids can receive counseling, free contraceptions, guidance, and advice on parenthood and safe sex.
Sexual Education CoursesALTERNATE POLICY #3 If we fund for sex ed classes in our schools, then teenagers can have access to the information that pertains to sex and pregnancy. Most teens know little from what they learn from the streets, their homes, and what their friends tell them. With sex ed classes, teens will learn the dangers of STI's and learn of contraceptives.
BASED ON OUR RESEARCH, SURVEYS AND DATA, PANEL 3 WILL PRESENT OUR CLASS POLICY.
Panel Three Our Class Policy
from left to right: Yoenny, Yerika, Brenda, Antonio, Yasmin, Edith, Mario, and Gisel(she is not included in the picture.)
Children should be informed when they ask about things parents may be uncomfortable with. When a child is ready to learn about sex they will ask questions about it.
Our class policy will include the following organizations: • Perth Amboy Board of Education • Planned Parenthood • The community, parents,teachers and Youth Activist Networks such as Amplify Your Voice presented in Panel 2.
Sexual Education: • Should be mandatory in the middle school and high school curriculum. • It is designed to have an overall positive effect on teenage sexual behavior. • It will increase the use of contraceptives for teens at PAHS.
What Ensures Effectiveness ? Understanding the issues involved in teen motherhood will help teens understand choices and options which in turn will increase awareness of the problem and possibly reduce teen pregnancy numbers.
AFTER 14 YEARS OF DECLINE, TEEN PREGNANCY IS ON THE RISE WHICH DEMONSTRATES THE NEED FOR SEX EDUCATION CLASSES THAT DISCUSS MEDIA INFLUENCE, PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND OTHER ISSUES TO ASSIST WITH THE PROBLEM.
Our policy also includes a required training for all educational providers and investment in resources such as condoms and other contraceptives that will also help with teen pregnancy awareness concerns and actual teen birth rates.
PawPrints Spring 2010
Many parents feel that schools are improperly intruding on their children by presenting sex education in the schools but are not having much success in challenging this practice in the courts on constitutional grounds. The argument is more of a policy issue than a constitutional application. The 1st Amendment states.......
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This article best supports our policy of having sexual education programs in our school. Instead of enforcing abstinence,our programs main focus is to better inform students of the many safe ways to have protected sex. my.hsj.org
