A few weeks ago, in my column citing examples of lack of discipline in public schools, I said that the summer assignments at a Morgan Hill public school weren’t collected. This is what I understood from conversations with not just my student, but another. When I tried to verify the information (phone system is awful to navigate, an email went unanswered), I opted for not giving the school the benefit of the doubt and printed what I believed was correct.
My son’s teacher did in fact collect the assignment, my son informed me the day the column was printed. Chagrined, I immediately wrote an email of apology to her and a few others. Although I had been very general and didn’t identify anyone in the column, I didn’t want anyone putting 1 and 4 together and giving her any grief. The Dispatch printed a correction. The Morgan Hill Times hadn’t printed yet, and because I had heard from other parents that they heard students saying the same thing about the summer assignment that I’d heard, I’d ask it to hold the apology because in speaking generally, technically, I may still have been correct. I tried to follow up on this information to get the real scoop, but have been unable to verify that it’s true.
So, here is my apology to all teachers for perpetuating a misconception because I did not clear up a misunderstanding. Instead of waiting more than four days for a response, I said what I believed to be true. I certainly will be more judicious in the future. If I have to be wrong on something, I’m glad it was this. The summer assignment was multi-faceted, interesting, challenging, and prompted numerous excellent discussions in our family on wars, past and present, an excellent example of what I want from education.
Earlier this week, I dissented from the editorial board on so many of the recommendations for the local ballot measures that I have fodder for every column from now to the election.
Today’s is about Proposition 85, which is no different from Proposition 73 from the last election. Just what about no did the proponents of 73 not understand?
Proposition 85 requires parental notification in the event a girl under the age of 18 arranges an abortion. A teen can follow through on her plans without her parents’ consent, but at least they will know their daughter has undergone a significant invasive procedure that carries some risk, and can monitor their daughter’s health afterward, say its proponents. They also claim, just as they did the last time, that there are avenues for the girl to obtain a judicial bypass, which is an extremely difficult process for a teen.
I wrote about Proposition 73 last year and I want to reiterate: I don’t want my daughter or my sons’ partner to have an abortion. I hope they come to me and their father if they are ever facing such a life changing choice.
Having come from a neighborhood where my friends in fifth grade were confiding that they were afraid they were pregnant and by seventh grade actually were, I’ve been talking frankly to my kids about sex and decision making since they were 10 years old. Last time, we used Proposition 73 to jumpstart conversations with our daughter on our values and our stance. Now, we have Proposition 85 to use with our son (in case he tuned us out the last time).
Proposition 73-now-85 will do little to decrease abortions. Strong pregnancy prevention based on curricula with evidence proving the programs work starting in middle school and continuing with classes with curricula based on best practices that help students answer difficult questions about intimate relationships by providing frank and correct information will reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and subsequent abortions.
South County has had an explosion of unintended teen pregnancies carried to term over the last couple of years. It’s so startling, members of the South County Collaborative formed a task force to specifically address the issue. GUSD officials for its program for pregnant and parenting teens and Health Services point to the elimination of good pregnancy prevention programs it had earlier as the cause of the increase in its district.
So, for me, it’s still no on Proposition 85. However you plan to vote, I hope you take this opportunity to talk to your children about this issue, making such ballot initiatives unnecessary in the future.
Columnist Dina Campeau is a wife, mother of two teens and a resident of Morgan Hill. Her work for the last seven years has focused on affordable housing and homeless issues in Santa Clara County. Her column will be published each Friday. Reach her at
dc******@ch*****.net
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