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Trustees of the Jefferson Union High
School District in Daly City, Calif., have unanimously agreed to make condoms
available in the schools. The policy is being drafted and will be presented to
the board for final approval. At present, the schools only allow students to
receive condoms provided by a licensed healthcare practitioner, which entails
going to the Daly City Youth Health Center (DCYHC). With the new policy, a
student can get condoms from a special services counselor at each school,
provided that the student has successfully completed the school district health
class.
In 2009, DCYHC initiated a pilot
program making condoms available at Thornton Continuation High School. Thornton
students completed a survey about sexual activity, and results indicated that
only one student was not sexually active. Also, students told DCYHC Nurse
Practitioner Scott Cuyjet that they were embarrassed to purchase condoms at the
drugstore. Cuyjet said that students appreciate being able to come in and
receive condoms; he also was glad they were being responsible, as he wanted to
see them protected from pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. The
special services counselor at one high school commented that she was in favor
of having condoms available in her office because many students had issues
getting transportation to the DCYHC.
None of the attendees at the school
district meeting spoke against the decision. The board members, parents,
teachers, and counselors who spoke at the meeting all agreed that easy access
to condoms would benefit the students. The board president—who has sons in one
of the district high schools—was reluctant at first, but later admitted that
their arguments had convinced him.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
