Merideth Kolodner writes today about a population many prefer to overlook -- the thousands of pregnant teens who are, by rights, entitled to be enrolled in high school -- citing a new report by the New York Civil Liberties Union (linked here).
The DOE's "P Schools" (p=pregnancy) were recently phased out, after 40+ years of difficulty. P schools, created in the 1960s, were designed as safe havens for girls who couldn't attend their regular schools once their pregnancies became visible. Intentions were good, but problems were rife: Unpredictable enrollment (new students arrived any time the decision was made that they should move, and other teens left once they gave birth) and pitifully limited academic progress meant that many girls earned less than a semester's credit over the year they were expected to attend P school.
Particularly troubling, on a micro scale, is the tone of some of the comments that follow Kolodner's story, showcasing a profoundly callow absence of empathy. The young mothers giving birth, and their children, deserve better, both from individuals and from the city's schools.
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