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A Portland School Committee member wants to give parents the power to keep their children from participating in a controversial new plan to make prescription birth control available to students at King Middle School.Benjamin Meiklejohn submitted a resolution Monday, to be considered by the committee on Nov. 7. The proposal would give parents the option to block access to prescription contraception if they enroll their children in the King Student Health Center.Meiklejohn's proposal also would limit access to prescription contraception such as "the pill" and "the patch" to students who are at least 14 years old.The committee's 7-2 vote last week would make King the first middle school in Maine to offer a full range of contraception in grades 6 to 8, when students are 11 to 15 years old, school officials said.Meiklejohn said some committee members urged him to delay submitting his resolution, fearing it would fan the flames of a national media frenzy over the committee's decision. But Meiklejohn said it would be a mistake to put off action on an issue that has divided the community."We should bring some resolution to this issue as soon as possible," said Meiklejohn, who voted against providing prescription birth control at King.Although students need written parental permission to be treated at King's health center, state law allows them to receive confidential care for reproductive health, mental health and substance abuse issues. So parents who allow their children to be treated there may never know whether their children receive the pill or the patch or any other reproductive health care.King's health center, which is operated by the city's Public Health Division, has provided condoms as part of comprehensive reproductive health care since it opened in 2000.John Coyne, School Committee chairman, said he supports the general ideas behind Meiklejohn's proposal, but he wants to make sure it wouldn't break state laws that ensure access to health care and privacy of minors. Coyne also voted against offering prescription contraception at King."I would never want to put out something for the board to vote on that is illegal," Coyne said. "If we can figure out the legal issues around this decision, maybe we can come up with something a little more palatable to me and others."Committee members Rebecca Minnick and Susan Hopkins said they probably wouldn't vote to reduce the scope of reproductive health services provided at King. Other committee members couldn't be reached for comment Monday."If it saves one girl from getting pregnant too soon, it's worth it," Minnick said.Coyne and Meiklejohn noted that the health center at Maranacook Community School in Readfield, which includes high school and a middle school, limits reproductive health services, including prescription contraception, to students ages 14 and up.Mary Callan, principal of Maranacook Community Middle School, said the age limit was set about three years ago, after the health center received a grant to augment its reproductive health services. She said the health center's advisory board held community meetings to learn how parents wanted the services to be delivered.Meiklejohn's proposal also would require all parental permission forms for Portland's six school-based health centers to more clearly explain services that can be provided confidentially to minors under state law.King's current information sheet refers to the state law that limits parental access to student health information. It also lists "a few of the services offered" to students, such as treatment of sore throats, acne and muscle strains, as well as "testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases" and "psychiatric evaluations and follow-up."Some services that have been offered since 2000 but aren't on the list include pregnancy testing, gynecological exams, contraceptive counseling...To read more go to:
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