The Portland, Maine, School Committee on Wednesday voted 7-2 to approve a proposal that will allow students at a city middle school to access prescription birth control, the New York Times reports. The measure, proposed by the Portland Division of Public Health, will require the independently operated health care center at King Middle School to provide students in grades six through eight with a range of contraception and counseling for sexually transmitted infections, Lisa Belanger, an administer for Portland's student health centers, said (Elliott, New York Times, 10/18).

Students will be required to get permission from a parent or guardian before being treated at the center; however, services provided at the clinic are kept confidential in accordance with state law, the AP/Google.com reports. Students also will be required to undergo a physical exam by a nurse practitioner or physician at the center before receiving birth control prescriptions, Belanger said.

According to Amanda Rowe, head nurse in Portland's school health centers, five of the 134 students who visited King's health center during the 2006-2007 school year reported having had sexual intercourse (AP/Google.com, 10/18). King Principal Mike McCarthy said about five of the school's 500 students have reported being sexually active (New York Times, 10/18).

Other Middle School Contraceptive Programs, Reaction
Although many proposals for contraceptive programs in middle schools across the U.S. have been rejected due to parental opposition, health centers at six middle schools in Baltimore and four in Seattle have been providing birth control with "little fanfare" since as early as 1990, USA Today reports. Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein said there has been a 73% drop in the city's teen birth rate from 1992 to 2005 in part because of birth control access. Seattle's program to provide reproductive services to high school students and some middle school students also has helped reduce the teen pregnancy rate with "little concern or dismay," T.J. Cosgrove, program manager at Public Health-Seattle and King County, said (Koch, USA Today, 10/19).

Portland's proposal "came about from kids self-reporting that they were sexually active," Douglas Gardner, the director of Portland's Health and Human Services Department, said in a statement, adding, "Clearly they are too young to be engaged in sexual intercourse, but the reality is that they are sexually active. It is our responsibility to offer a full range of primary care services to students." Rowe said the service is "needed," adding, "It's about very few kids, but they are kids who don't have the same opportunities and access as other students" (FoxNews.com, 10/17).

Committee Chair John Coyne, who voted against the measure, said, "At some point there needs to be a clearing of the gray lines" between the roles of parents, social agencies and public schools. Committee member Ben Meiklejohn, who also voted against the measure, said the parental consent form does not sufficiently define the services being provided at the health centers (AP/Google.com, 10/18). Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D) said, "I appreciate local officials trying to address a need in a medically appropriate way, but these are children," adding, "An appropriate balance must be struck addressing the troubling situation that a small number of students find themselves in and recognizing the role that parents and other family members should play" (Harkavy, AP/Guardian, 10/18).

Topeka, Kan., School District Stops Condom Distribution Program
In related news, the Topeka, Kan., Public School Board of Education on Wednesday discontinued a program at Topeka High School that provided no-cost condoms to students, the AP/Wichita Eagle reports. The school stopped distribution of the condoms after the end of the school day on Tuesday. The condoms had been available in a wicker basket at the school nurse's station, in addition to information about how to use them and no-cost HIV testing, the AP/Eagle reports. The school received about 100 condoms in both September and October from the Topeka AIDS Project. All the condoms were dispensed within a week of their arrival each month.

Interim Superintendent Terry Sandlin said Topeka High School's principal was unaware that the condoms were available until a Topeka Capital-Journal reporter asked about it (AP/Wichita Eagle, 10/18). When asked if anyone would be disciplined as a result of the program, Sandlin said the school district would use it as a learning experience, the Capital-Journal reports.

"I want our parents and community members to know that while I am sensitive, as well as knowledgeable as to the AIDS and STD epidemic infecting our youth and appreciate the efforts of the Topeka AIDS Project, the decision to distribute condoms or any type of birth control in a public school is not one that should be made in isolation," Sandlin said. He added, "It must be made with input from Topeka Public Schools' Board of Education, the District Citizens Advisory Committee, parents of our students and members of our community" (Bush/Stoll, Topeka Capital Journal, 10/18).

Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs reported on Portland's proposal. Summaries appear below.

• ABC's "Good Morning America": The segment includes comments from Rowe and parents. The segment also includes a discussion with Glenn Beck, host of "The Glenn Beck Program," and Logan Levkoff, a sexuality educator (Sawyer, "Good Morning America," ABC, 10/18). Video of the segment and expanded ABC News coverage are available online.
  
  
• ABC's "World News": The segment includes comments from parents and a school administrator (Riviera, "World News," ABC, 10/18). Video of the segment and expanded ABC News coverage are available online.
  
  
• CBS' "Evening News": The segment includes comments from McCarthy and parents (Pitts, "Evening News," CBS, 10/18). Video of the segment is available online.
  
  
• MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews": The segment includes a discussion about the proposal (Matthews, "Hardball with Chris Matthews," MSNBC, 10/19). Video of the segment is available online.
  
  
• NPR's "Day to Day": The segment includes a discussion with Portland School Committee member Lori Gramlich about the proposal (Brand, "Day to Day," NPR, 10/18). Audio of the segment and expanded NPR coverage are available online.
  
  
• NPR's "The Bryant Park Project": The segment includes a discussion with Divya Mohan, a spokesperson for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, about the proposal ("The Bryant Park Project," NPR, 10/18). Audio of the segment is available online.
  
  
• WBUR's "Here & Now": The segment includes a discussion with Jeff Wade, news director for WGAN public radio in Portland, about the proposal (Young, "Here & Now," WBUR, 10/18). Audio of the segment is available online.