Attention students: Maternity clothing is now offered in the school store.

[Shockeye]

65 Girls At Area School Pregnant

1 hour, 2 minutes ago

There are 490 female students at Timken High School, and 65 are pregnant, according to a recent report in the Canton Repository.

The article reported that some would say that movies, TV, videogames, lazy parents and lax discipline may all be to blame.

School officials are not sure they what has caused so many pregnancies, but in response to them, the school is launching a three-prong educational program to address pregnancy, prevention and parenting.

The newspaper also reported that students will face mounting tensions created by unplanned child-rearing responsibilities, causing students to quit school and plan for a GED. This will make it difficult for the Canton City School District to shake its academic watch designation by the state.

According to the Canton Health Department, statistics through July show that 104 of the 586 babies born to Canton residents in Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center had mothers between 11 and 19.

The newspaper reports that the non-Canton rate was 7 percent. Canton was 15 percent.

[Pococurante]

The article reported that some would say that movies, TV, videogames, lazy parents and lax discipline may all be to blame.

Somehow the things I see happening around my farm make me think none of the above has anything to do with how babies get made.

[HaemishM]

65 Girls At Area School Pregnant
School officials are not sure they what has caused so many pregnancies

I'd toss out a wild guess and say "Sex."

[voodoolily]

Yeah, looks like Bush's plan to eliminate any sex ed except abstinence training is working awesome. Onward, Christian soldiers!

[WayAbvPar]

Welcome to Ho-bag High. Please help yourself to a hotdog and a hummer.

[Paelos]

Hmmm, my guess is this in a county where there ain't much to do on a Friday night. Except each other.

[Strazos]

65 Girls At Area School Pregnant
According to the Canton Health Department, statistics through July show that 104 of the 586 babies born to Canton residents in Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center had mothers between 11 and 19.

WTF?

[Shockeye]

65 Girls At Area School Pregnant
According to the Canton Health Department, statistics through July show that 104 of the 586 babies born to Canton residents in Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center had mothers between 11 and 19.

WTF?

Stop whining because you didn't get any at 11. Some people...

[Murgos]

My guess would be the guy with three prongs is guilty.

[Paelos]

What's 11, 6th grade? I don't think I even gave a second glance to girls before 7th grade, and they are already banging at this school?

You know what I blame? The fear of education.

[WayAbvPar]

I will bet good hard-earned cash that this school is within a stone's throw of a trailer park. Or 12.

[HaemishM]

Are you kidding? It sounds like they are working on populating a whole new new trailer park.

[Shockeye]

I will bet good hard-earned cash that this school is within a stone's throw of a trailer park. Or 12.

521 Tuscarawas St. W.
Canton, Ohio 44702

And the school mascot is... wait for it... wait for it...

The Trojans.

[Shockeye]

MUSTARD SEEDS: The ‘irresponsible’ should get blame

Sunday, August 21, 2005

MUSTARD SEEDS Rick Senften Repository special projects editor

This may seem impossible to you, but it’s true.

Sixty-five — again, 65 — of Timken High School’s 490 girl students are pregnant.

That’s a number confirmed by Principal Kim Redmond, whose staff, in less than a week, will inherit a problem it had no part in causing.

Whose fault is it that more than 13 percent of Timken’s girls are with child? Some would say fault-finding isn’t a fruitful exercise, but in this case, it’s critical. Suspects range from movies, TV and video games to lazy parents and lax discipline. Only one thing is sure: Schools don’t impregnate children.

“This has gotten to horrible proportions,” said Redmond. “I wish I knew the answer to why it’s happening.”

She’s not the only one who should wonder. McKinley High’s numbers aren’t rosy, either, and its culture is just as ripe for trouble. I recall a day there last spring, while waiting for an English class to let out, that a roomful of kids lauded a boy, no more than 16 or 17, for having become a “dad” the night before. A paper on the kid’s desk suggested he might struggle to spell that word.

According to the Canton Health Department, through July, 104 of 586 babies born to Canton residents in Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center — the county’s largest hospitals — had mothers between 11 and 19. That’s nearly 18 percent, or three times the total number of babies born at the same hospitals to teen parents living elsewhere in Stark County and beyond.

These numbers are not aberrations.

The non-Canton rate the year before was 7 percent; Canton’s was 15. In 2003, the non-Canton rate was 7 percent and the city’s 18, and in 2002, the county’s rate was 8.5 percent and the city’s just under 17.

Some might argue that the non-Canton rate is also too high, and, indeed, it may seem especially so as the rest of the nation is enjoying a 10th year of decline in teen pregnancy. But Canton City Schools would take Stark County’s rate in a heartbeat.

A lot of factors enter into a school district’s ability to succeed, but none is more important than home environment. Even smart kids struggle when their parents don’t establish expectations for academic achievement and responsible behavior. Teen moms will, in time, almost surely fill this lethargic parenting description, their pregnancies evidence of faulty priorities.

What chance does a pregnant girl have to meet education goals when she finds herself focusing on everything from peer attention to morning sickness, misses classes regularly and, finally, is on maternity leave? Many never return to school. If they do, they’re far behind.

At home, they face mounting tensions created by the unplanned child-rearing responsibilities they’ve left with their own parents or grandparents. This persuades some to quit, and to plan on a GED. Sometimes that plan is realized; often it’s not.

Not surprisingly, few get to college, educators say.

Boys don’t get caught in this net the same way girls do, unless they try to be responsible. If they do, they slow their own educational progress and limit themselves occupationally. If they don’t, they often cause more problems for more girls. And they go virtually unchecked; getting a girl pregnant and ignoring responsibility isn’t treated as a crime.

One clear sign of the problem shows up in such measurements as the state’s Academic Watch designation, which the Canton City School District has been unable to shake. Low grades, low attendance, low graduation — these are aggravated by a growing population of people who can’t afford to pay to improve the educational environment.

“Once again, the schools can’t do it all,” Redmond said. “Once again, we’re being asked to.”

And once again they’ll try. Timken, for instance, will roll out a three-pronged program addressing pregnancy, prevention and parenting. Redmond isn’t saying exactly how the program will work — how it will compare to other such courses that have disappeared in recent times — but the goal will be to keep all students focused on their futures.

A focus on the future is, by definition, the role of schools. But it’s far-fetched to argue they should be held accountable for all the hurdles strewn before that goal. They need help, and they need it fast from people who, to date, have been unwilling to recognize their responsibilities.

You can reach Rick Senften at (330) 580-8314 or e-mail:

rick.senften@cantonrep.com

[HaemishM]

I'd like to see the pregnancy rates one year after the school starts issuing condoms to every student every single day of the school year.

[Roac]

Only one thing is sure: Schools don’t impregnate children

...



Why are people like this allowed to live? 

[Miasma]

I will bet good hard-earned cash that this school is within a stone's throw of a trailer park. Or 12.

521 Tuscarawas St. W.
Canton, Ohio 44702

And the school mascot is... wait for it... wait for it...

The Trojans.

I had to google the school to see if you were making that up because it was so funny.  I can't believe you were serious.

I like section 9 of their code of conduct (pdf) which explicitly forbids selling fake drugs, and then makes no mention of real drugs.

SALE/DISTRIBUTION OF DRUGS, ALCOHOL (09)
“Look-alike” Drugs: A student shall not be involved in making,
selling, and/or possession of counterfeit drugs and/or
related tools.

That is the entire section, so if you're going to sell drugs make damn sure it is the good stuff!  (There is a passing reference to not dealing in a different section).

[Llava]

Only one thing is sure: Schools don’t impregnate children

...



Why are people like this allowed to live? 

I especially like that he lists movies, videogames, lazy parents and lax discipline as possible culprits, THEN says the above quote.

Um.

I'd actually wager that schools are much more directly responsible than movies or videogames.  You have to define lax discipline- if we're talking a Jerry Springer kid, then yes that kid needs discipline.  If we're talking about parents who expect their children to come straight home from school and not have people of the opposite sex calling them on the phone, it's time to wake up to a brand new day.

[Paelos]

The parents blame the schools, the schools blame the parents, and in reality it's a delightful combination of the entire culture that has permeated that town. There is no single cause.

It takes a village!

[Daeven]

Yeah, looks like Bush's plan to eliminate any sex ed except abstinence training is working awesome. Onward, Christian soldiers!

Well, if the policy is intended to reverse the decline in birthrates as seen In Europe and other affluent western naitons, it looks like it is a smashing success!

[tazelbain]

Well, we need to get our next generation of Walmart employees some where.

[Merusk]

I will bet good hard-earned cash that this school is within a stone's throw of a trailer park. Or 12.

521 Tuscarawas St. W.
Canton, Ohio 44702

And the school mascot is... wait for it... wait for it...

The Trojans.

Yeah the Timken Trojans. They always had a big swimming invitational meet when I was in High School.  I'm sure I've got a medal or ribbon around the 'rents place still. I'll try and hunt it down.  Anywho, this was not a small school in a rural area. Now granted, it's Canton so it's not exactly up-and-coming but it's not Bumfuck, Arkansas either.

Yeah, looks like Bush's plan to eliminate any sex ed except abstinence training is working awesome. Onward, Christian soldiers!

Well, if the policy is intended to reverse the decline in birthrates as seen In Europe and other affluent western naitons, it looks like it is a smashing success!

Exactly.  The uneducated minorities have seen their populations boom. This is a danger to us God-Fareing whites and a travesty that must be righted!  Onward to the breeding pits you mindless youngin's!  STDs? Pregnancy? NAhahhhh that's all myths and nonsense your parents tell you to keep you in line!  Screw like bunnies you young white hopes!

[voodoolily]

Again, I must use this opportunity to plug my idea to put all teen girls on Norplant starting at menarche. That is all.

/soapbox

Edit: okay, I have more. If you think about how much it costs tax payers to birth and raise these babies (most of the teens are from uninsured families, right?), pay for food stamps, the state baby-formula/pediatrician programs, a lifetime on welfare, etc. (=tens of thousands of dollars per teen mom, at least), compare it to the cost of Norplant ($500-$750 for entire procedure, which lasts for 5 years). Savings much? What to do with the savings? MAybe pay for these people to go to community college for a couple years.

[Merusk]

There's that whole pesky, 'freedom' thing there, though.

As for uninsured families... dunno.  The area is http://maps.google.com/maps?q=521+Tuscarawas+St.+W.+canton,+oh&spn=0.029319,0.060176&t=k&hl=en pretty urbanized, but with the country club only a mile or two away to the west & on the same road it can't be the slums.

[voodoolily]

Okay, this is really depressing. I just found out that Norplant is no longer available in the US. What the fuck is happening to this country?

[Velorath]

Anyone know where I can get a copy of Timken High School's last yearbook so I can see if it's worth a trip down there?

[Merusk]

Okay, this is really depressing. I just found out that Norplant is no longer available in the US. What the fuck is happening to this country?

Medical Problems. lead to class action suits lead to the company pulling the product.

It's the American way.

[voodoolily]

Just because there's a country club in the city don't mean shit. Ever see Roger and Me? The minority population is roughly twice in Canton what it is in the state of Ohio (thank you, US Census Bureau). I don't think that's much of a coincidence. The percentage of college graduates is also half in Canton what is in the state. And the rate of poverty is also twice the state average. Poor + uneducated = knocked up teenagers. Do the math, people!

[voodoolily]

Okay, this is really depressing. I just found out that Norplant is no longer available in the US. What the fuck is happening to this country?

Medical Problems. lead to class action suits lead to the company pulling the product.

It's the American way.

Uh, oh. God, I swear they still have info about Norplant at the Planned Paernthood I go to. Maybe not. I hope not.

[Paelos]

Just because there's a country club in the city don't mean shit. Ever see Roger and Me? The minority population is roughly twice in Canton what it is in the state of Ohio (thank you, US Census Bureau). I don't think that's much of a coincidence. The percentage of college graduates is also half in Canton what is in the state. And the rate of poverty is also twice the state average. Poor + uneducated = knocked up teenagers. Do the math, people!

Yep, this is why the smart people need to start having more kids. And why we should start passing better support laws for children born out of wedlock.

[Merusk]

Smart people will never start having more kids.  They're too smart, and know how far they can stretch a dollar vs how much a child costs. They're also used to their luxuries and pretty loathe to give them up for something as intangible as a 'family.'  This is a trend that's only getting worse among the whites I know and deal with on a day-to-day. Mostly due to the woman of the couple not wanting to either give-up or put on-hold her career.

Anecdoal here, but I think only about 4 of the 20-somethings I've known over the last 5 years (about 8) said they were going to have families.  Of those, most wanted only 1 child.  That's not even replacing the 'smart person' quota, much less growing it.

[MahrinSkel]

The parents blame the schools, the schools blame the parents, and in reality it's a delightful combination of the entire culture that has permeated that town. There is no single cause.

It takes a village!

I'd say that at this point, it would take a neutron bomb.  Not that we'll have much use for the building, but with their breeding rate, we don't want any mutants among the survivors.

--Dave

[Llava]

<shrug>

I don't want kids.

Neither does my girlfriend.

We expect it to stay that way and are as sure about it as any couple in their early 20s can be about the future while still recognizing the fact that they're in their early 20s.

Sorry, future.  I'm not a fan of poopy diapers.

[Strazos]

I had to go to a Baptism party over the weekend.

There were Too.Many.Fucking.Kids there. I don't know why, but children tend to annoy the everliving shit out of me. I was there for less than a half hour I am guessing.

[Fabricated]

Kids are stupid whores anymore, I'm not sure where the shock is coming from.

Not to say it didn't happen back in the 50's/60's/70's. It did, parents and PTAs were better at covering it up.