Jul 23, 2008 8:32 am US/Eastern
Teen Pregnancy On The Agenda In Gloucester
GLOUCESTER (WBZ) ―
Teen pregnancy will be back on the front burner in Gloucester Wednesday night, at a special School Committee meeting to address the issue.
The small North Shore community made international headlines earlier this summer when word circulated of a 'pregnancy pact' among some female students. Seventeen Gloucester High School students became pregnant last school year. The school's principal, Joseph Sullivan, said it was his understanding that several of those girls agreed to become pregnant on purpose, and raise their children together.
Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk disputed Sullivan's claims in a public press conference, saying her office had not been able to confirm the existence of a pact, and calling his memory "foggy."
Pact or no pact, with 17 pregnant students the city acknowledged teen pregnancy was an important issue that needed to be addressed.
Wednesday night, the School Committee will meet with a special "Blue Ribbon Panel" of health experts, to determine how to proceed with sensitive issues like sex education and contraception.
The panel will include Dr. Lauren Smith of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Dr. Karen Hacker of the Institute for Community Health, Patricia Quinn of the Mass. Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, and Jack Vondras, Gloucester's director of health.
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