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Charter School Serves Pregnant, Parenting Teens

Posted on: Sunday, 9 April 2006, 18:00 CDT

By Ignazio Messina, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

Apr. 9--Antoinette Tate was just 13 and a student at Toledo's McTigue Junior High School when she got pregnant - the first time.

Scared and barely a teenager, she enrolled in the Toledo Public Schools' now-defunct Early Adolescent Pregnancy Program.

Now 18 and the mother of a second child who is 8 months old, Miss Tate attends the Polly Fox Academy, Toledo's only charter school geared specifically for pregnant and parenting teens.

"I was really scared when I first got pregnant," Miss Tate said. "When I went to that first school, I felt like I wasn't the only one."

Polly Fox, a TPS-sponsored charter school for grades 7 through 12 near the Old West End, opened in August, 2003. It replaced the early adolescent program, which was designed for slightly younger girls.

Child-care techniques and counseling are woven into the academic courses and daily life at Polly Fox. A key element the staff stresses is prevention of a second pregnancy.

Miss Tate, who said she loves both her children dearly, agreed that prevention is good advice for her 140 classmates.

"When I got pregnant again, I couldn't believe it - couldn't believe I didn't learn from my mistake," she said.

Joan Durgin, coordinator of health services for Toledo Public Schools, said helping girls prevent a second pregnancy is a key element of the school's philosophy.

"I think we have to recognize that these girls have a history of being sexually active, obviously," Ms. Durgin said. "Do I wish they could be abstinent? Of course."

Although part of the effort at Polly Fox is to help reduce teen pregnancy, the larger mission is to help its girls be successful. The five teachers at the school help the students learn how to deal with a range of potential issues that may arise, including postpartum depression, an abusive boyfriend, homelessness, and sexually transmitted diseases.

"A lot of these girls come to us with baggage," said teacher Sue Stoll. "They don't have day care. They have family problems, and a lot of them weren't in school when they got pregnant."

Going back to school at Polly Fox is an attempt by the students to make better lives for their children, Ms. Stoll added.

An advantage Polly Fox provides for a pregnant teen or young mother is flexibility - something not usually available at a traditional school like Rogers High, which Miss Tate attended.

Day care for Polly Fox students is available through Toledo Day Nursery. A Toledo Hospital nurse and midwife come to the school once a week to provide information on contraception, but they do not distribute condoms.

There are also a number of online courses available for TPS students who can't make classroom time because of health and other issues with their children.

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Blade

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