See No Evil Keep pregnant students out of sight and away from school. by William K. Richardson all me an insensitive, sexist ogre, but I do not believe visibly pregnant adolescents should be allowed to wander the halls of our schools as if they were “regular” students. Why is irresponsible behavior being rewarded? It is detrimental for the message it sends the students: Personal behavior matters little and carries no consequences. When poor behavior is rewarded, expect more of the same. In my six years in the Memphis City Schools, I cannot count the number of pregnant teens I have encountered. A pregnant teen is allowed to attend classes throughout her pregnancy, becoming a celebrity on campus. Once the baby is born, the mother’s celebrity grows, what with bringing the cute newborn to school like some show-and-tell piece. It is wrong to let this behavior stand without penalty. Our schools are supposed to be preparing students for the future, the “real world.” What they are saying is, “It is perfectly okay to engage in immoral behavior. If a pregnancy occurs, don’t worry, your life will not change.” Teenage promiscuity is nothing new. Attitudes concerning it are. Any behavior is excused now. Such was not true 20 years ago. A girl who slept around was considered a whore or slut then. Today, those words are badges of honor. Families used to be ashamed of a pregnant daughter or sister. Girls were often sent away for nine months; “shotgun weddings” also occurred. Some parents even had the pregnancy terminated. Today, societal and familial pressure do not exist as they once did. Having pregnant teens in our schools is disastrous for the signal it sends the female students, many of whom are immature and impressionable. Current policy condones the behavior and does nothing to curtail it. I wonder how many current teen moms first got the notion after seeing a classmate. A policy should be adopted that removes the pregnant student from the classroom; said policy should not allow the student to attend classes until the start of the next school year. Such a policy would serve two purposes. First, it would rid the hallways of immoral behavior, flaunted in the shape of a pregnant teen. Secondly, the girl herself would fail a year in school, providing a penalty for her irresponsible actions. Such a policy should be rigidly enforced: no questions asked or explanations accepted. I am certain there are those who will call my position cruel and unfair. What about the father? they might ask. “Why is he not punished?” I agree. But the issue of teen sperm donors is another topic altogether. I believe more of the blame lies at the feet of the girl. Keeping her legs together would have been the surest method of preventing pregnancy. No means no, and anything that goes beyond that word should be considered sexual assault or rape. If a 13-year-old is determined to be wild, then contraception is readily available. In 1998, there is no excuse for a teenage girl to get “knocked up.” My proposal, while tough, is not cruel. There is nothing wrong with demanding decency, and, where necessary, enforcing it. While I can empathize with the pregnant teen, I am more concerned with the majority of girls who do not choose to wreck their lives. There should be high standards for behavior as well as for academics. Let everyone rise to the standard, rather than permit a few to lower it. (William K. Richardson is wrestling coach and assistant football coach at Westside High School. “Had I a daughter,” he says, “I would never allow her to attend a Memphis city school.”)