Maternity leave sought for teen girls

[nikki1920]

My dad worked at an alternative High School for a while in B'more. I think the daycare staff there was licensed by the state, as well as CC students who were getting there certificate in child care operations or what have you.

I find it ironic that the mothers are forced to struggle, but the fathers get off scott free. And I bet Colorado has one of those abistinence-only sex ed programs. That's working out well, don't you think?

[UGAalum94]

Four weeks seems like too much, but returning the day after being discharged from the hospital is way too soon.

There should be no school leave for bonding purposes, IMO. Sick days to physically recover, sure, and you moms on GC know better than I how long it would take. A girl who wants to stay exactly on track with her class needs to miss as few days as possible.

Students can make up credits in summer school or night school every place, right? Or worst case, repeat the grade without cost to them?

So basically, there's no real penalty other than lose of academic credit if you withdraw. So any girl who wanted too could take a semester or a year's worth of leave to bond; she just couldn't expect to advance at school as if she were present and mastering material.

I'm also looking at it from the teacher's perspective. Unless she was extremely academically motivated (which isn't a trait I associate with teen pregnancy in most cases), she's not going to be able to get caught up and learn the new material when she gets back. The grading period is probably a wash anyway.

IMO, the best position is to waive any truancy laws or policies and just let them come back the next quarter or semester or whatever. Or arrange credit by examination for the girls who have their kids at the end of one semester. If you can pass the final, you get credit.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nikki1920

And I bet Colorado has one of those abistinence-only sex ed programs. That's working out well, don't you think?

Do you really think that teenagers get pregnant because they don't know how babies are made or don't know they can buy condoms at the store?

It's not that I think we only need abstinence only programs: I just think it's wrong to assume that sex ed format contributes to pregnancy.

I think we could count on one hand the number of teenagers who got pregnant this year who didn't know where they could get condoms. I think they just didn't bother because they didn't want to stop what they were doing right then.

It's a breakdown someplace for sure, but I'm not sure it's at the curriculum level.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I think we could count on one hand the number of teenagers who got pregnant this year who didn't know where they could get condoms. I think they just didn't bother because they didn't want to stop what they were doing right then.

It's a breakdown someplace for sure, but I'm not sure it's at the curriculum level.

Not only that, but many kids that age think they are invincible and "it won't happen to me".

[nikki1920]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Do you really think that teenagers get pregnant because they don't know how babies are made or don't know they can buy condoms at the store?

I said that because this adminstration seems hell bent on keeping ALL the information about contraception from kids. It could be both reasons, for all I know ("you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex, etc. type of reasonings).

I do think that there should be some other format to keep teen PARENTS in school (not just mom, but dad too).

I was up and about two days after giving birth (with an uncomplicated vaginal birth). I was able to resume normal daily actvities about 2 weeks later. Four weeks is a bit much I think for a regular birth, but it depends on the mom's and baby's condition, post partum.

AF: *applause*
lol..

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by nikki1920

I said that because this adminstration seems hell bent on keeping ALL the information about contraception from kids. It could be both reasons, for all I know ("you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex, etc. type of reasonings).

I do think that there should be some other format to keep teen PARENTS in school (not just mom, but dad too).

I was up and about two days after giving birth (with an uncomplicated vaginal birth). I was able to resume normal daily actvities about 2 weeks later. Four weeks is a bit much I think for a regular birth, but it depends on the mom's and baby's condition, post partum.

AF: *applause*
lol..

What does the federal administration really have to do with what sex ed program a district or state uses? The most they could do is not offer additional federal funding for other programs which isn't the same as prohibiting them. The vast majority of education funding in at the state level. I think a lot of people don't really understand it's kind of a supplementary kind of think funding through welfare, as near as I can tell. School districts can still do whatever, unless STATE law prohibits it.

Do you really think we'd have had fewer teen pregnancies if Kerry had won? Really?? So who in the present field of candidates can be depended on to get the kids to wrap it up?

[PsychTau2]

Wouldn't delivering a baby fall under the school's "major medical incident" policy or something like that? How do they treat a student who had their appendix removed? Or some other type of surgery? Seems like that could apply in the pregnancy situation as well (regarding healing medically...bonding with the baby, well...not even all adults get the luxury of taking 4 weeks off from work I'm sure. Some might have to go back to work a lot sooner than that). Seems like doing it that way would even the playing field for all students (how fair would it be for pregnant mothers to have 4 weeks of excused absences when no one else has that opportunity?)


PsychTau

[AKA_Monet]

Medically, if there are no gross complications, then the young woman can resume normal activities upon discharge. For the psyche of the mother and child health, a month is roughly the correct amount of time to build the natural and instinctual cues for human babies--i.e. breast feeding vs. bottle. A child doesn't wean until ~3-4 months for bottle feedings.

Young mothers for the result of youthfulness have children that are at high risk for starvation, illnesses, decreased birth weights, developmental and learning disabilities because this critical connection period is missed.

The reality, if one does not clean up this problem for at least a month and the day-care mandatory service (love that idea), your next problem will be increased risk of sexually transmitted infections with the transmission to mother and infant.

4 weeks is such a simple fix, I would be willing to pilot it for 4 years. Then, I LOVE the mandatory day-care in-service with parenting classes, etc.--Alphafrog for President!!!

[UGAalum94]

But how in the world will a kid miss a month of class and come back to the same class and pass?

If it were just a question of working at a part time job, it's easy to see how one could take a month off and pick up right where you left off.

But if you miss a month of Algebra II, you'd missed a month of Algebra II. The class will be doing stuff that you are a month behind on.

Just stay out and take it later. Or stay out and repeat the grade with the mandatory child care as an elective.

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

But how in the world will a kid miss a month of class and come back to the same class and pass?

If it were just a question of working at a part time job, it's easy to see how one could take a month off and pick up right where you left off.

But if you miss a month of Algebra II, you'd missed a month of Algebra II. The class will be doing stuff that you are a month behind on.

Just stay out and take it later. Or stay out and repeat the grade with the mandatory child care as an elective.

The same way that they do if they have major surgery, cancer, a severely broken leg, etc. In those situations, the schools are required to provide a home teacher a couple times a week, aren't they?

By law, any working female is entitled to 12 weeks with no penalty from their employer (if they can afford to go that long without pay). It's called the Family and Medical Leave Act. Short term disability will pay for 6 weeks for a vaginal birth, 8 for a c-section. 4 weeks is certainly reasonable. After having a baby, you go for a checkup at 2 weeks to have stitches removed and then again at 6 weeks to get approval for normal activity. I was clearly told not to lift more than 10 pounds (and I guarantee my kids' backpacks weigh more than that!). You're never sleeping more than 2 or 3 hours at a time at 4 weeks and that delays the healing of your body too.

Ultimately, it's to society's benefit for these young women to continue their education. You can pay for a few extras while they're in high school (like home school teachers and day care) or you can pay for them and their kids their whole lives because they get into the welfare cycle. I'd rather do the former. And yes, I'd add parenting classes as a "7th hour" or something to get the day care so that the young mother gets some support and instruction.

It's so easy to say they were stupid to get pregnant, but the only form of birth control that is 100% effective is abstinence and the statistics show that the vast majority of teens are having sex, so we have to be realistic here. And, as purely anecdotal evidence, the girls in honors math who got pregnant were forced to get abortions in my day because their parents weren't allowing them to "screw up" their lives with a teenage pregnancy. Given that's the other option, is this what we want to reward?

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

But how in the world will a kid miss a month of class and come back to the same class and pass?

But if you miss a month of Algebra II, you'd missed a month of Algebra II. The class will be doing stuff that you are a month behind on.

Just stay out and take it later. Or stay out and repeat the grade with the mandatory child care as an elective.

Trust me, algebra 2 does not quarter fast at most high schools. Most of these kids are taking classes that are making them do presentation projects demonstrating what they have learned and how to implement it.

I don't know if Colorado has exit examinations to graduate, but if they do, the cumulative measured knowledge is just not learned once going to high school. If should have started in elementary and middle school.

The ages this report says was 15-17 years old. That is 9th grade to 12th grade.

No one has begun to ask how these young people are thinking about having sex... But that is another thread.