ACLJ Dispatches State Legal Director to Maine for School Committee Hearing
This morning I have authorized our Legal Director for Maine, Steve Whiting, to participate in the Portland School Committee meeting scheduled for November 7 involving the distribution of prescription contraceptives to children as young as 11 years old. All of this, of course, under school policy is taking place without either parental notice or parental consent.
We have drafted a legal brief in the form of a demand letter to the Maine school district. Click here for a copy of the letter. We have demanded that the school district abandon its policy to distribute prescription contraceptives to students as young as 11 or face legal action to have the policy removed. We sent a letter to the Portland, Maine School Committee regarding a new policy in place at King Middle School. The policy clears the way for the school to administer prescription contraceptives including birth-control pills and patches to students between the ages of 11 and 15 without the consent of parents.
This policy is simply unacceptable and must be removed without delay as we have heard from Maine parents and residents outraged by the decision. This is a very troubling policy that clearly usurps parental rights and violates state law. The school district has a window of opportunity to correct this problematic policy. If that does not happen, we will not hesitate to bring a lawsuit on behalf of concerned parents to get this policy removed.
In our demand letter to the Portland School Committee, we contend that in addition to promoting a flawed policy that provides prescription contraceptives to young students without the knowledge of parents, the Committee is violating Maine law by not reporting all illegal sexual activity involving children 13 years old or younger.
Our letter states: The failure of health center personnel to report all instances of sexual activity involving young children endangers the safety of those children and must be corrected. Moreover, the Committees decision to offer prescription birth control to children as young as 11 years old tramples upon parental rights and has the effect of promoting illegal sexual activity.
Calling the policy deeply troubling, we contend the Committee is not only fostering criminal activity and child abuse, but is usurping parental authority and subjecting children to all kinds of health risks as well. We urge the Committee to put an end to this illegal activity, or the ACLJ will assist parents in bringing legal action against the Committee.
We told the Committee that our letter is on behalf of Portland parents who have contacted us, and on behalf of thousands of ACLJ members in Maine and throughout the country who have expressed their outrage and disgust over the Committees usurpation of parental responsibility to protect the health and morality of their children. I will keep everybody updated this week as we look to make progress on this matter.