Massachusetts Elementary School to Distribute Condoms to Students
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
Starting this fall, kindergarten through fifth grade students at Veterans Memorial Elementary School in Provincetown, Mass., will be able to obtain free condoms, ABC News reports.
Debate about the policy did not focus on whether condoms should be distributed at all, but rather on whether or not it was too restrictive.
"I don't like that students can't be discreet about this," says school committee member Shannon Patrick, the Provincetown Banner reports. "They have to go and ask for it. I'd rather them not have the conversation (with counselors) and have the condom than not have the condom."
Since there is no age restriction on obtaining condoms, some students need more information, school superintendent Dr. Beth Singer says.
"We're talking about younger kids," Singer says. "They have questions they need answered on how to use them, when to use them."
Not everyone agrees with the policy. Kris Mineau, president of the conservative Massachusetts Family Institute, says the policy is ridiculous, ABC News reports.
Related: Getting Teens to Talk (Eww) About Sex











ReaderComments (Page 3 of 6)
6-25-2010 @ 2:58AM
Ida said...A 5 year old who is having sex is NOT TRASHY.
A 5 year old who is having sex is DISTRESSED, abused, and needs HELP.
Good grief.
Has no one ever heard of "acting out sexually" and what that means in children 10 and under???
WHY are they handing out condoms instead of finding out who's abusing these kids????
6-24-2010 @ 9:54PM
alix said...Do you people not read this is elementary school for god sakes! Minimum age 4 max 11. WTF is wrong with people, no child should be asking for a condom ever! "Kids are going to have sex no matter what" No! CHILDREN DO NOT HAVE SEX, little children, teens have sex. If this was my childs school i would be there in a second beating the shit out of the principal, teacher and anyone else in favor of this.
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6-24-2010 @ 9:58PM
alix said...No they do not maybe 1 out of 100 or 1000, it is not a regular thing, and any kids that young that are found to be doing it, their parents should be locked up for child endangerment.
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6-24-2010 @ 9:58PM
ALSON TAYLOR said...Why not teach our childen that if they love that boy or girl enough to have sex, then they love them enough to get married and then have sex. If they don't feel that way, what are they doing? Why are they allowed to pollute that other child and his or her future marriage with images of their tryst. This is theft from their future spouses and children. I suggest that fathers have a talk with the boys who call, to seperate the wanna-marry from the wanna-whatever. Then, chaperone your child with this boy for as long as it takes for them to be ready for marriage. Your child may marry young, as they did in the Bible, but he or she will marry as a virgin and may even marry a virgin.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:06PM
Na said...You guys are over reacting. I may not be a parent but the article said they aren't passing them out in class, they are just available in the counselor's office! But parents shouldn't be able to opt their kids out. Kids have a mind too. I agree that elementary school is too young but if there is a high rate of kindergarten to fifth graders around town going around banging, give them the right to get some protection. If they have to ask to get them the more likely the counselors can talk them out of it! They'll see the downsides not just wanting to be like Mom and Pop. Where I live, the sex ed classes consist of a 80 year old woman showing a group of 10 year olds a video on periods. Nothing is taught about abstinence or safe sex. I think they should teach that as well as the condoms. It's their life, let them deal with it. But let them have the facts first.
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6-24-2010 @ 11:56PM
TeacherMom said...If you ever have a child, you will innately realize, as do most people once they have a child, how precious your child is and how vulnerable and easily influenced your little one is. A child can not make such a decision for themselves at the age of elementary school. They are still learning about life. Responsible parents make it their priority to teach their children as is appropriate to their child's perspective. Since you don't have a child, you don't understand the value of this approach. Children must be taught, protected and valued. Letting them have access to something so significant as condoms, and all that implies, without the parents' knowledge is an offense to the parent AND child!
6-24-2010 @ 10:02PM
mesaman said...Mass has thrown in the towel in trying to educate and instruct young people in the ways of life. Instead of encouraging little children, and I mean kindergarten through fifth grades, to use condoms, have they ever considered explaining morality, decency, and propriety. Oh, I see, those are antiquated values taught by your forebearers.
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6-24-2010 @ 11:35PM
KJ said...I agree with you but if they teach sex ed in school its the same fit by the same parents.. these people need to wake up these issues aren't going away and they are getting worse. I do think we need to educate these little ones but you know that parents would never agree to that...
6-24-2010 @ 10:10PM
alan said...kids just keep on poppin out babies and us hard working folks have to pay for them because they claim they do not know who the father is....if they don't know give them nothing...... then they will come up with some names
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6-24-2010 @ 10:13PM
rand194646 said...This is another reason to FIRE ALL OF THE SCHOOL COMITTEE. I am the parent, stop taking my authority, my decision making and my ability to raise MY children. I pay to raise them, not the school comittee. I pay the taxes and my tax money is once again being wasted. The fact that this moron does not care what the parent says is why she should be fired. Teach them to read, write and spell, you know the things that my child goes to school for. Not their politcal views, not their lifestyle views and not their religious views. I pay taxes for them to teach my child, not raise them to not listen to me.... THE PARENT.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:35PM
ramses said...i think that they should have waited for when the kids get to high school to distribute the condoms
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6-25-2010 @ 8:15AM
My name said...Give a kid a stick and he'll poke stuff with it, give him a lego and he'll build stuff with it, give him a crayon and he'll draw with it, give him a condom and he'll use it. It may not be the intended use at first, but eventually it will be. As it stands, rarely kids become sexually active around 10-12, RARELY, but does that mean that every kid this age should be tought that this behavior is acceptable? And really, 5 year-olds? The teacher who said that the condoms had to be locked up because they were being stolen, well i'm about 92% sure that 5 and 6 year olds werent the thieves, but teenagers would be more likely. And about the girl that had 4 or 5 girls in her teens, She is an idiot. It would take me 2 or 3 kids at most to figure out that maybe i shouldnt be having sex. No amount of "teaching to swim" would control or even slow down this baby maker because something that stupid cant be taught.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:42PM
My Fire said...While handing out condoms in highschool and even Juniorhigh is a great tool for safe sex and preventing unwanted pregnancy and std's what the hell were these people thinking passing out condoms to kindergarden students thru fifth grade students??? yer talking 5 to 10 year olds that a condom wouldnt fit anyway not to mention these kids are not having sex and most are embarassed to even use the proper words for body parts can you imagine them asking for a condom. I agree with the commentors who said yank yer kids out of that school immediately because this is being done without parental consent. what ever happened to getting the parents permission first.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:35PM
Larry said...Good will be called evil and evil will be called good. What's wrong with abstienence? Why not teach that. Oh that's right the abortion production line might come to a slow down and no one wants that do they.Teach them and expose them at a younger age. They don't have to tell their parents any way. We are exchanging the Truth for a lie.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:44PM
D said...Massachusetts is a wierd place, always has been
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6-24-2010 @ 10:48PM
jess said...this school is teaching kids to have sex.
when some of these kids end up with diseases and kids, they'll know who to blame and we'll see what this school is in the news for then.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:46PM
Meanstr said...Why do people not realize that there are 12 and 13's sexaully active,there was a time when a boy two to three years older would not even think about going with any girl that young but now they do,And it is not because they love them but because they can easlily convince them that they love them and that they have needs and if the girl will not then they will find someone who will.Condoms may make it easlier for the girl to say yes it would just be a little sooner .Young Men need to be taugth that you don't, instead of being taught that it makes you a man.A lot of Tv shows and Movies seem to make it all most a law that by the third or fourth date it is time for Sex.So it is not the giving out of Condoms that needs to be talked about But that having Sex is not making Love it is just what it is having sex.
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6-24-2010 @ 10:50PM
Lelou said..."Plus this shouldn't be seen as encouraging kids to have sex even though that's what many ignorant conservatives will think. just to point that out."
Lauren, you are the ignorant ass along with xiangfeng010 who should know that we don't give a shit about what she loves or cougar website. You are obviously not a parent for you to say that b/s. It's true that kids will have sex no matter what, but to be distributuing condoms to elementary schools is OPENING THE DOOR TO ENCOURAGE KIDS TO HAVE SEX !!! It's not really the school's job to be even teaching kids about sex, it's actually the parents job to teach them before they start puberty or else they would end up being nine-year-old parents (it has actually happened).
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6-24-2010 @ 11:01PM
Lelou said...TO DR. SINGER: Elementary and middle school kids go to school to learn academics, NOT SEX!!! 98% OF THOSE KIDS WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE WORD SEX MEANS ANYWAY, SO WTF ARE YOU GOING TO PASS OUT CONDOMS TO THOSE KIDS?! YOU ARE ALSO ENCOURAGING PEDOPHILES TO LINE UP AT YOUR SCHOOLS IN ORDER TO HUNT FOR THOSE KIDS FOR THEIR OWN SEXUAL GAIN ONCE THEY HEAR OF YOUR STUPID ASS DECISION. PARENTS WILL BE SUING YOU LEFT AND RIGHT IF THEIR CHILDREN GET RAPED OR MOLESTED. DID YOU EVER THINK OF THAT? IF YOU CAN'T COMPREHEND WHAT I'M TELLING YOU OR DON'T CARE, THEN I SUGGEST YOU FIND ANOTHER JOB THAT DOESN'T DEAL WITH PEOPLE UNDER 18 YEARS OLD!!
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6-24-2010 @ 11:09PM
Ron said...Maybe Shannon Patrick and Dr. Beth Singer could put some condoms over their heads,seal them tight and try to breath for 5 minutes. Next!
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