For the past five years, Howard County school system employees have been told to inform parents if a student is pregnant, but the practice recently struck a nerve with the county's health officer.
The school system's policy had been an unwritten one, but that changed this month when the Board of Education voted, 7-1, on a written policy that directs employees to inform parents of their pregnant daughter's status.
Under the new policy, once an employee confirms that a student is pregnant, the employee is required to report the information to a designated official - administrator, nurse, or counselor - who would then inform a parent.
Dr. Peter L. Beilenson said that the policy is a huge mistake, and he wants the board to revise it.
"I think the school board was looking at the policy through the prism of their own eyes," Beilenson said.
The school system said the aim of the policy is to protect students.
"There are physical and emotional complications that affect the emotion, physical health of the student - diabetes, tubal pregnancies. There are also emotional risks," said Donna Heller, coordinator of health services for Howard County schools.
Beilenson argued that the policy is harmful to girls, who need access to a trusted adult.
"When the student knows that the adult is required to run it up the flagpole, there will be a chilling effect on kids," he said.
"Teachers should be trusted advisers to their students," Beilenson added. "This decouples that."
Beilenson also is concerned about the student's privacy - particularly if she does not carry the child to term.
"You've got to view this from the prism of the teenager," he said. "There are a lot of issues they are dealing with."
Andrew Gravelek, the student member on the board, voted against the new policy.
"I polled dozens of students. It was unanimous," said the Reservoir High School student. "The students didn't want this policy, and they didn't think it was fair to them. That was a major factor in my decision."
During the 2004-2005 school year, 16 students told school officials of their pregnancies, according to school system data. That number rose to 22 during the 2005-2006 school year. Last school year, the number of reported pregnancies dropped to 17.
"We're still having students come to us," Heller said.
There were 103 pregnancies among Howard County teenagers in 2006, Beilenson said.
"Eighty-one of them did not tell [school system employees]," Beilenson said. "Clearly not all of them came forward."
john-john.williams@baltsun.com
