Should schools be able to require pregnancy tests for students?

A publicly funded Louisiana school says it may reconsider its policy requiring pregnancy tests for some students.

The Delhi Charter School says there have never been any complaints from students or parents.

But the ACLU is now complaining about the policy, which allows the school to require any student suspected of being pregnant to take a pregnancy test.

If the test confirms the student is pregnant, she can’t attend classes.

And, if a student refuses to take the pregnancy test, the school treats her as if she is pregnant, and she must be home schooled.

The ACLU is calling on the school to suspend this policy immediately.

It says the forced pregnancy tests violate the Constitution and Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that get federal funding.

Critics describe the policy as “reminiscent of the 1950s,” based on the stereotype that a girl’s pregnancy sets a bad example for her peers.

In light of the ACLU complaint, the Delhi Charter School said it is working with a law firm “to ensure that necessary revisions are made so that our school is in full compliance with the constitutional law.”

Whether or not you agree with the school’s policy, there’s no question teen pregnancy remains a problem in our nation’s high schools.

Teen mothers graduate at far lower rates than their peers – and dropouts wind up costing taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

Louisiana knows all this too well: While teen pregnancies have been decreasing nationwide over the past several years, Louisiana still has the sixth highest teen pregnancy rate in the country.