How much should schools accommodate students who have babies? Last year, a Denver high school became the center of a nationwide controversy when two school counselors asked the school board to grant pregnant students at least four weeks of maternity leave after their babies are born. Some lauded any measure that would stop penalizing these students with unexcused absences, but others felt that such an extended leave would essentially reward teen mothers and send a bad message to their peers. The Denver public school system eventually chose to provide students with three weeks of teacher-assisted homeschooling after they have their babies, but there are no national guidelines to help teen mothers resume their education after giving birth. And despite the efforts of some state-funded teen parenting programs, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that only 40 percent of teen mothers will ever graduate from high school. Is maternity leave part of the solution, or is it an unearned free pass from school? Tell us what you think!
