Birth leave sought for girls

[Dymphna]

I have to ask a basic question. What does a four week leave of absence really mean? Does that reset the clock so that we have to have another graduation four weeks later in the year for those who got pricked by cupid's ? Or is it a four-weeks-of free time (whether you bond with beebee or pass it to granny is irrelevant) that you don't have to attend school or do your school work? Does four weeks or unexcused absence have any more impact than four weeks or excused absence?

I think the problem is that some school districts, including ones in Maryland will fail a student based on absences regardless of their grades.

I think what these girls are asking for is to be allowed to stay home and do their assignments from there. And have their absences be marked down "excused." which would allow them to catch up on the work instead of giving them zeros for not turning it in. The nature of the school year is such that they can't push back graduation a few weeks, the girls would have to make up the work before then, but if the absences are "unexcused" they aren't allowed to.

 

[clevalley]

If you got pregnant on the job, they would treat it like any other illness. Doctor says you are unable to work, you get leave appropriate to what the doctor says and short term disability pay if you are eligible for it.

What do they do with students who have an illness where the doctor tells them not to school for 4-6 weeks? That's what they should do with these girls. They should get medical leave from school. They still have to do the work, but they get to do it at home.

The only problem I see with that plan is those girls who leave the baby with grandma and go running around with their friends and back to their party ways as soon as they leave the hospital. But as long as the doctor doesn't clear them to go back to school, I don't see a way around that without penalizing the girls who are using that time off wisely.

I agree with one small point - Pregnancy is not an illness though. I can understand if a child (someone under 18) gets sick and has to have some kind of treatment - illnesses are non-controllable.

Pregnancy is a somewhat of a "choice" - hear me out for a second;

With or without protection, we all know nothing is 100% positive (outside of abstinence) - so if you choose to have sex then you choose to assume the risk of pregnancy. Thus, if you get pregnant you chose those odds and assumed the risk. Children do not think of the ramifications - they live in the here and now - heck, we all did.

I find it ludicrous to offer time off from school for pregnancy - it was not offered for our parents! If they get pregnant, take the time off of school AND be given the work to do at home. If they cannot keep up they fail - it is that simple. The school system cannot judge which girl is really doing the program (staying home and working on schoolwork) or a girl who's mommy or grandma is watching the kid while they scratch out their homework and is off banging the next dude!

Teachers sent to the home - BOE should do away with it and let the children fail - that is a big problem with society IMO, if the kid cannot handle the social aspects of school, nor the responsibility, then why should exceptions be made for little Johny or Jane? Heck, lets save a few bucks by doing this AND put that money into something else in the education budget This is whether they are behavioral problems OR pregnant, whatever the case may be. Later in their adult life is an employer going to make exceptions for a behavior issue? but I digress... for pregnancy, YES, by all means YES - of course they should because you/we/me as an adult KNOW what the situation is, you are more mature and your brain is developed. Even if it is a mistake you are in a position to help yourself - you have an education (to some degree hopefully) and are able to work and support yourself.

Talk to your children and for God's sake - explain all the options; abstinence as well as protection! BUT ALSO explain to them the ramifications of what it is to be pregnant. Show them the cost and time involved... for example;

When my son breaks a toy and asks me to fix it, he goes and gets the glue, the tools and whatever I need to fix it. If I do not have the right glue - we go to the store and HE buys it with his money. As I fix it he is right there with me - when he asks why he has to stand there I explain that I could be doing something else as well. He gets the point... when we are done - he cleans it up and when I am done, he is done...

I know this example is WAY off base but parallels can be drawn from it to explain to a child what can happen, the cost and time involved as well. He now knows the time involved to take care of a problem. Show little Johny or Jane a young, unwed mother in school (hell, we all know one or two) and explain HER situation to them. Better yet, have them talk to her!

 

[clevalley]

I think the problem is that some school districts, including ones in Maryland will fail a student based on absences regardless of their grades.

I think what these girls are asking for is to be allowed to stay home and do their assignments from there. And have their absences be marked down "excused." which would allow them to catch up on the work instead of giving them zeros for not turning it in. The nature of the school year is such that they can't push back graduation a few weeks, the girls would have to make up the work before then, but if the absences are "unexcused" they aren't allowed to.

If they can perform the work and keep up their grade, heck yes!

 

[Dymphna]

I agree with one small point - Pregnancy is not an illness though. I can understand if a child (someone under 18) gets sick and has to have some kind of treatment - illnesses are non-controllable.

Pregnancy is a somewhat of a "choice" - hear me out for a second;

With or without protection, we all know nothing is 100% positive (outside of abstinence) - so if you choose to have sex then you choose to assume the risk of pregnancy. Thus, if you get pregnant you chose those odds and assumed the risk. Children do not think of the ramifications - they live in the here and now - heck, we all did.

I find it ludicrous to offer time off from school for pregnancy - it was not offered for our parents! If they get pregnant, take the time off of school AND be given the work to do at home. If they cannot keep up they fail - it is that simple. The school system cannot judge which girl is really doing the program (staying home and working on schoolwork) or a girl who's mommy or grandma is watching the kid while they scratch out their homework and is off banging the next dude!

Teachers sent to the home - BOE should do away with it and let the children fail - that is a big problem with society IMO, if the kid cannot handle the social aspects of school, nor the responsibility, then why should exceptions be made for little Johny or Jane? Heck, lets save a few bucks by doing this AND put that money into something else in the education budget This is whether they are behavioral problems OR pregnant, whatever the case may be. Later in their adult life is an employer going to make exceptions for a behavior issue? but I digress... for pregnancy, YES, by all means YES - of course they should because you/we/me as an adult KNOW what the situation is, you are more mature and your brain is developed. Even if it is a mistake you are in a position to help yourself - you have an education (to some degree hopefully) and are able to work and support yourself.

Talk to your children and for God's sake - explain all the options; abstinence as well as protection! BUT ALSO explain to them the ramifications of what it is to be pregnant. Show them the cost and time involved... for example;

When my son breaks a toy and asks me to fix it, he goes and gets the glue, the tools and whatever I need to fix it. If I do not have the right glue - we go to the store and HE buys it with his money. As I fix it he is right there with me - when he asks why he has to stand there I explain that I could be doing something else as well. He gets the point... when we are done - he cleans it up and when I am done, he is done...

I know this example is WAY off base but parallels can be drawn from it to explain to a child what can happen, the cost and time involved as well. He now knows the time involved to take care of a problem. Show little Johny or Jane a young, unwed mother in school (hell, we all know one or two) and explain HER situation to them. Better yet, have them talk to her!

Some aspects of pregnancy are a medical condition. AND one of the girls in the article said something about doing the work at home. I think the way it is now is that some of them are being failed or at least penalized based on their absences from school.

IF a child were terribly ill with a legitimate illness, that child STILL has to do their school work to get credit for it. They are given leeway to make it up, extensions on deadlines and so forth, but if the work isn't done, by the time the next school year begins, they get an "incomplete" and have to retake that grade or in the case of high school, at least retake any classes they didn't finish.

No one is saying these girls don't have to do the work. They certainly don't get off easier than a chronically ill child who is unable to attend school.

 

[White Buddah]

Talking to your children and explaining it all is a good thing. Even better is for them to understand what you are saying. I mean having the responsibility to heed what was said and applying it to situations when the arise. The young adults stand a far better chance of fighting off our natural urges. After all, that is what we are built for...survival and reproducing.

 

[clevalley]

Some aspects of pregnancy are a medical condition. AND one of the girls in the article said something about doing the work at home. I think the way it is now is that some of them are being failed or at least penalized based on their absences from school.

IF a child were terribly ill with a legitimate illness, that child STILL has to do their school work to get credit for it. They are given leeway to make it up, extensions on deadlines and so forth, but if the work isn't done, by the time the next school year begins, they get an "incomplete" and have to retake that grade or in the case of high school, at least retake any classes they didn't finish.

No one is saying these girls don't have to do the work. They certainly don't get off easier than a chronically ill child who is unable to attend school.

Yes - but the aspect of illness within the pregnancy is brought on by the pregnancy, so they should not be offered special treatment.

Pregnant - you get off from school - do the work, if you cannot keep up you fail. No special programs or assitants, work is available at the schools desk or is brought home by a friend. You keep up, you keep up... you can get instruction at school. - Absences are excused w/ a doctors note.

Illness - I can understand home schooling and assitance until the doctor releases you to go back to school - Absences are excused w/ doctors note.

 

[vraiblonde]

There was an interesting debate on the radio yesterday between some abstinence-promoter lady and the liberal reporter who was interviewing her.

There is legislation being bandied about somewhere (I missed that part of the interview) to give (more) money to pregnant teens and ensure them a college education. This would be paid for by our tax dollars, btw.

The abstinence lady says this is a bad idea because it rewards teen pregnancy - to get a free ride to college and a paycheck, all you have to do is get pregnant.

The libby reporter disagreed and says that if you are pro-life, then you must be pro-life after the child leaves the womb as well, and help that child (via its mother) to have a financially stable family life.

I can see both sides, but there's a glaring problem with the reporter's argument. That is that the vast majority of girls who get pregnant in high school aren't "nice" girls who were going on to college anyway. And if we want to discourage teen pregnancy, it doesn't make sense to reward it with money and free college.

Personally, I'd rather give the break to girls who managed to get through high school WITHOUT getting pregnant. That makes more sense to me.

 

[itsbob]

Some aspects of pregnancy are a medical condition. AND one of the girls in the article said something about doing the work at home. I think the way it is now is that some of them are being failed or at least penalized based on their absences from school.

IF a child were terribly ill with a legitimate illness, that child STILL has to do their school work to get credit for it. They are given leeway to make it up, extensions on deadlines and so forth, but if the work isn't done, by the time the next school year begins, they get an "incomplete" and have to retake that grade or in the case of high school, at least retake any classes they didn't finish.

No one is saying these girls don't have to do the work. They certainly don't get off easier than a chronically ill child who is unable to attend school.

Life is about choices, good and bad.

You are supposed to be rewared for good choices and not rewarded for bad ..

 

[White Buddah]

Personally, I'd rather give the break to girls who managed to get through high school WITHOUT getting pregnant. That makes more sense to me.

Since it wouldn't cost anything, the schools would say that their reward is the diploma, education, a better chance of going to college, and the hand shake. The way things are going, if the graduating student drives, buy them a tank of gas for their vehicle.

 

[Gwydion]

Fail them. Kick them out of school. Fail the idiot guy as well. I'd rather pay for a few idiot drop-outs NOW to teach the rest of them a lesson to NOT do it, than to pay for eternity for stupid #### like giving whores free rides to college because they couldn't keep their damn legs closed.

 

[White Buddah]

But if we pay for them now, it's going to cause a snowball effect. How about, tough ****! You figure out how you are going to deal with this. You community is not going to.

 

[Gwydion]

But if we pay for them now, it's going to cause a snowball effect. How about, tough ****! You figure out how you are going to deal with this. You community is not going to.

I figure they are going to end up on welfare for at least a few years and/or unemployment and other bull#### crybaby programs that steal the money of hard working individuals and give it to the broke and lazy pieces of #### that roam this earth. Short of eliminating those types of programs, we will have to pay for them at some point.

Unless a death sentence is given to any person that gets pregnant (or causes a pregnancy) outside of a safe marriage between two people who can support their child.

 

[thurley42]

But if we pay for them now, it's going to cause a snowball effect. How about, tough ****! You figure out how you are going to deal with this. You community is not going to.

In today's society the soup de jour is when someone has a problem they think how is everyone else going to help me, not how am i going to help myself.....

How quickly J.F.K.'s famous speech is forgotten, but then again, the teenagers who are getting pregnant probably think J.F.K. is where the Redskins used to play...

 

[clevalley]

There was an interesting debate on the radio yesterday between some abstinence-promoter lady and the liberal reporter who was interviewing her.

There is legislation being bandied about somewhere (I missed that part of the interview) to give (more) money to pregnant teens and ensure them a college education. This would be paid for by our tax dollars, btw.

The abstinence lady says this is a bad idea because it rewards teen pregnancy - to get a free ride to college and a paycheck, all you have to do is get pregnant.

The libby reporter disagreed and says that if you are pro-life, then you must be pro-life after the child leaves the womb as well, and help that child (via its mother) to have a financially stable family life.

I can see both sides, but there's a glaring problem with the reporter's argument. That is that the vast majority of girls who get pregnant in high school aren't "nice" girls who were going on to college anyway. And if we want to discourage teen pregnancy, it doesn't make sense to reward it with money and free college.

Personally, I'd rather give the break to girls who managed to get through high school WITHOUT getting pregnant. That makes more sense to me.

A friend of my wife got pregnant as an unwed adult. She was in college going for her nursing degree. She took a semester off of school, had the baby and returned full-time the following semester; her mother watched the child while she worked and finished her education.

Both her and her boyfriend waited to get married until after she graduated college - why?

Because the state and a federal grant PAID her tuition and books %100 percent because she was an unwed mother... like you, I see both sides of the coin on this. The part that bothers me is she picked up on the program to pay for her last 2 years of school. To me, that is working the system - but it is there (at least it was 5 years ago) for the takling!

My wife and I joked one day about doing this for her to get her degree for free... we would get divorced, her and the boy would "stay in our house" and I would "move in" with my mother in her house.

At dinner we talked on how to theoretically pull it off... we had everything worked out but the problem was we owned a home and the tax break, the insurances (home owners and life)... 401K, investment funds - it was too much of a hassle and really not cost effective for us to do it! Guess I would not make a good criminal!

 

[vraiblonde]

Guess I would not make a good criminal!

You're either a scam artist who cheats the system or you're not. :shrug:

Unfortunately, we have a segment of our society like that Hannah Montana liar/cheater who don't think that sort of thing is bad, if it gets them what they want.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Uh, yeah.

There is no girl of menstruating age in the US that doesn't know that the female is the one that gets pregnant and carries the child. Yes, the guy should have to take some responsibility, but as long as there is normal biology, the girl will bear the brunt of unwanted pregnancy.

It's just the way it is.

And, since the beginning of time, women have been the socializers and civilizers of humanity, so it's their responsibility to hold the horndogs at bay. If you know that YOU are going to be the one who suffers for irresponsible behavior, then it's up to YOU to control the situation.

And one more thing:

If we want young men to be responsible for their unplanned offspring, how does it make sense that they should have to quit school and not get their education? Ideally we would encourage them to stay in school and go on to college or whatever so they can earn a living and support their child and its mother.

Because everything we hear is what we hear from the feminists.

My brother was in one of these situations (even though the kid belonged to some black boy, not him) where the girl and her mom wanted him to take on two jobs so she didn't have to work and be there every waking moment for her.

 

[Sweet 16]

Pregnancy is is up to 99% preventable and these girls should be made to "pay to play". If they are stupid enough to get pregnant before they are able to balance their workload and care for their offspring (i.e. employed and stable), then they shouldn't get special treatment from the schools IMO. They should have to make up missed work on their own time or go to summer school in order to catch up. Why should my tax dollars pay for those empty classroom seats that could be filled with concientious, hard-working students who want to learn and make something of themselves instead of spending their time on their backs making welfare babies that I will also have to pay for?

 

[Dymphna]

Life is about choices, good and bad.

You are supposed to be rewared for good choices and not rewarded for bad ..

I'm not saying to reward them. I'm just saying that they shouldn't be failed ONLY for excessive absences from school.

They still have to do the work, they still have to make the grade to graduate. Even doing the work at home will be hard enough given that there is a baby to care for. It doesn't hurt anyone to say to a girl she can do her work at home and send it in either with a friend or with a counselor/home tutor.

Now you can argue that they shouldn't be provided a home tutor because they brought it on themselves and the school system shouldn't pay for it, but that would cost a lot less than the girl dropping out because she didn't understand her assignments and ultimately ending up in the welfare system. AND the girl still has to do the work to get her education. AND she has to do it timely if she wants to graduate with her friends.

 

[White Buddah]

Why should my tax dollars pay for those empty classroom seats that could be filled with concientious, hard-working students who want to learn and make something of themselves instead of spending their time on their backs making welfare babies that I will also have to pay for?

Over crowding of the schools wouldn't be the case if we were paying for such seats.

 

[maxima87]

I don't see how excusing the absences is being considered a reward. Evidently, based on the article, the girls want to finish school. The WANT to graduate and do something with their lives. Hell, when I was in school, you had some that got pregnant and just stopped coming and you had the ones who had homeschooling and came back. The difference...some wanted to make something of themselves and some could care less. I was one that chose to finish, and then go on to college. Not everyone that gets pregnant young is destined to end up on welfare just so you can whine about your tax dollars this and your tax dollars that. GET THIS: Once your tax dollars are out your check, you can kiss them goodbye! They are not YOURS anymore.

Back to the subject, if the girls want to finish school, let them. What harm is in that? I have seen cases...in this county...where kids received homeschooling because the couldn't deal with peer pressure. Is that an illness now? And that was without a Drs. note.

Oh, and all girls that get pregnant while they are young are whores? That is a very interesting statement.