Louisiana Charter School Prohibits Pregnant Females From Continuing Education

By Megan

As I was reading through the blog, Feministing.com, I ran across a headline that really shocked me. “Louisiana charter school totally illegally kicks out students for becoming pregnant.” My first thought was, “How is this possible?” I’ve seen a handful of pregnant females at my Bronx high school; I’ve seen them all 9 months throughout their pregnancy, and still, I see them after they give birth finishing high school.

According to the student handbook, “If an administrator or teacher suspects a student is pregnant, a parent conference will be held.” How unfair is this? What if you have really strict parents who would practically kill you if they knew you were pregnant? It shouldn’t be anyone’s problem, especially school staff. In addition to that, the handbook also says, “The school reserves the right to require any female student to take a pregnancy test to confirm whether or not the suspected student is in fact pregnant.” I don’t think anyone reserves the right to force you to do anything, especially when your own body is involved. “If the test indicates that the student is pregnant, the student will not be permitted to attend classes on the campus of Delhi Charter School.” So, if a student is pregnant or rejects taking the pregnancy test, she would be kicked out of school forever. Not even a week worth of suspension or detention, even though none of that is fair. Your entire education gets thrown out the window because you’re pregnant. What if you got raped? Or, you were planning on having an abortion?

The school’s “pregnancy policy” does not follow the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. So yes, this “pregnancy policy” is illegal. What about if the male who impregnated the female also attends the Louisiana school? Does he get effected in anyway? I think there is a big lack of gender equality here. Sex and pregnancy go hand in hand. I believe if a female has to go through these consequences, so should the male who was involved in the making. This upsets me because it is wrong, in all aspects. Reading this makes me want to write a letter to the school’s administrator with raging words and make him or her cry. If the administer is a male, he is just like every male involved in politics who doesn’t understand the struggles and fight for female reproductive rights. These males often oppose things that will benefit us females. And if the administrator happens to be a female, I’d be even more upset because we females should stick together.