Louisiana school ordered to stop pregnancy tests on 'suspect' students

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Louisiana school ordered to stop pregnancy tests on 'suspect' students

ACLU denounces Delhi Charter School's policy of forcing tests on female students and banning them if results are confirmed

Rory Carroll in Los Angeles
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 August 2012 15.16 EDT

State officials in Louisiana have ordered a school to change a policy that forces students who are "suspected" of being pregnant to take a pregnancy test, and for banning them from class if the results are confirmed.

Civil liberties campaigners highlighted the policy at the Delhi Charter School, saying it was discriminatory and unconstitutional. Commentators expressed concern that any student merely "suspected" of being pregnant could be forced to take a test.

State officials ordered the school to change its policy within a week or face sanction. "We request that you immediately revise your policy," the Louisiana state department of education said in a statement on Tuesday night.

The edict followed a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union which highlighted the case, saying the state-funded school was breaking the law. "This is in blatant violation of federal law and the US constitution."


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/08/louisiana-school-forced-pregnancy-test

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I heard the ACLU was involved in this on the radio coming to work this morning.

Good for them.

[spotlight]

2. Waiting for the next move.

I don't believe the school will just meekly comply. I expect fireworks!!!

[Brigid]

3. So what does this school plan to do with the boys who got the girls pregnant?

I can promise you none of those girls got pregnant by themselves -- if they are pregnant, that is.

[MountainLaurel]

6. My guess

Probably give them a cash award for doing their part to stop those uppity womenfolk from getting an education.

[wordpix]

10. good question - the double standard lives on

[Wait Wut]

4. Same people...

...that are anti-choice and anti-birth control. I'd call them hypocrites, but I don't think that's a strong enough word.

Even better, once one of these young ladies has a baby, they'll want to deny her and her child healthcare, food, shelter, education, etc. If Satan exists, he calls himself a Good Christian. (Absolutely no offense to TRULY good Christians!)

[peace frog]

8. American Taliban

Last edited Wed Aug 8, 2012, 06:38 PM - Edit history (1)

These Inquisition throwbacks would fit right in with any other virulently anti-female religious groups.

[yardwork]

5. This is one of the problems with the charter school approach.

Some of these charter schools are doing very odd things that violate people's rights, and they're doing it with public money. That's not cool. It's bad enough that there are abusive private schools all over the country, but at least they're abusing their students on the parents' dimes. In this case they're taking my tax money to violate people's constitutional rights. Not cool at all.

[wordpix]

9. I would not paint all charter schools with such a broad brush

I work in one charter and one charter-public partnership school, both in DC. The difference between charter (which is public) and "regular" public schools is there is a charter board for each charter school, which oversees that school or perhaps a group of schools. I like this approach because one such board can oversee a lot better* than one board per district with tens or hundreds of thousands of students. (*I should add, the charter board oversight is typically better as long as the board is actively involved in their school(s)).

In DC, testing "suspect" girls like this would never even be discussed much less implemented, charter or no charter.

[yardwork]

14. I said "some of these charter schools."

[Iliyah]

7. Goppers sure like to control people's lives

especially womens.

[rocktivity]

11. CUE THE VONAGE THEME!

unless they've got a way to test the male students, too, hee hee!


rocktivity

[xxqqqzme]

12. I'm not very impressed

w/ these rethuglican 'small' government experiments in the various states they control.

[nanabugg]

13. This is wingnut idea of freedom and less government and regulation. nt