Publications
Partners
First they kicked Shantelle Hicks out of school for falling pregnant, then after being told to readmit her, her school humiliated Hicks by forcing her to “confess” to being pregnant in front of the entire school, during an assembly.
According to Care2, the pupil was told to leave the school for falling pregnant, but, as this infringed on her civil liberties, the school was forced to readmit her. The embarrassed teen was then told to tell the entire school about her pregnancy, because, as the school claimed, she was “setting a bad example to other students”.
She has since initiated litigation against the school for violating laws which prohibit sex and pregnancy discrimination in schools.
In the not-too-distant past, pregnant teenagers were frequently whisked away to give birth in secret, and sometimes forced to conceal their babies or even give them up for adoption.
In South Africa, despite some social advances, there is still a stigma attached to being a teen mom at school. The law states that it is forbidden to exclude pregnant girls from schools, but the law doesn’t cover the fact that some teachers may victimise pregnant girls, leading to them dropping out of school. Of course, many teachers do show care and concern for pregnant women and young parents, providing some hope for better experiences of schooling.
Want more? Follow Parent24 on Twitter!
Do you think schools should punish pregnant girls for “setting a bad example”?
According to Care2, the pupil was told to leave the school for falling pregnant, but, as this infringed on her civil liberties, the school was forced to readmit her. The embarrassed teen was then told to tell the entire school about her pregnancy, because, as the school claimed, she was “setting a bad example to other students”.
She has since initiated litigation against the school for violating laws which prohibit sex and pregnancy discrimination in schools.
In the not-too-distant past, pregnant teenagers were frequently whisked away to give birth in secret, and sometimes forced to conceal their babies or even give them up for adoption.
In South Africa, despite some social advances, there is still a stigma attached to being a teen mom at school. The law states that it is forbidden to exclude pregnant girls from schools, but the law doesn’t cover the fact that some teachers may victimise pregnant girls, leading to them dropping out of school. Of course, many teachers do show care and concern for pregnant women and young parents, providing some hope for better experiences of schooling.
Want more? Follow Parent24 on Twitter!
Do you think schools should punish pregnant girls for “setting a bad example”?
