Bronx teenagers with disabilities are disproportionately
at risk of being three or more years older than their middle school classmates,
having unintended pregnancies, and contracting sexually transmitted infections
(STIs).
New York education officials have not taken
aggressive steps to provide an adequate health education, STI screening, and
treatment for these vulnerable students.
Research
demonstrates that these students would benefit if they received an adequate
health education, STI screening and treatment.
While limited services are available for
teenagers in high schools, less
is available for teenagers who spend two or more extra years in middle school
largely because of their disabilities or limited language proficiencies.
National health care
organizations recommend an increase in comprehensive health education in
elementary, middle, and high school to prevent “health problems in the
following areas: unintentional injury; violence; suicide; tobacco use and
addiction; alcohol or other drug use; unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and STD
infection.”
According to New York City Department of
Education (DOE) data, approximately 8,000 students in middle school are three
or more years over-age in 2015–2016; of these, approximately 3,000 attend
middle school in the Bronx. This number is slightly down from the 8,500
over-age students reported by Advocates for Children of New York in its 2014 report.
The New York State Health Department reports that
teenagers account for 86.6 of 1000 pregnancies in the Bronx, the highest rate among
all five boroughs. This rate is alarming when compared to Nassau County, where
teenagers account for 16.2 of 1000 pregnancies.
Data from NYC’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
(DHMH) confirm that Bronx teens
with STIs outnumber all other NYC peers. Because some STIs
can lead to infertility, increased rates of
STIs can also lead to increased infertility rates for Bronx teens.
New York education officials currently underemphasize health services and
health education for school-aged children, which contributes to children making poor
choices about sexual behaviors and increases their chances of contracting an
STI.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), as of 2014, “Youth
(15–24 years old) are still at the highest risk of acquiring an STD, especially
chlamydia and gonorrhea.”
The CDC estimates “1 in 20
sexually active young women aged 14–24 years has chlamydia.”
I recommend the following actions be
immediately taken:
– DOE,
DHMH and community-based health care providers partner to offer comprehensive
screening and treatment to children who are experiencing mental and sexual
health challenges. Services should focus initially on the over-aged middle
school student population, members of which are twice as likely to be students
with disabilities and English language learners.
– Permit
the Office of School Health to offer screening for STIs to over-aged middle
school students in schools. Do not allow local superintendents and principals
to deny students access to screening and treatment.
– DOE,
DHMH and community-based health care providers develop comprehensive health
curricula to teach children about health, including sexual health.
– New
York State Board of Regents change education regulations to require mandatory
health education classes in grades 6 – 12. Current regulations only require one
semester of health in middle school and one semester in high school.
I urge education and government officials to
coordinate and collaborate with community-based health care providers to
address the myriad health-related issues that contribute to grade retention and
risky sexual behavior. Left unaddressed, these issues often lead to
consequences such as unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and
diseases, mental illness, drug addiction, middle school dropout, juvenile
delinquency, and even death.
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