MCPS students will soon be able to visit their school nurse and request a bag with 5 condoms inside. County councilman George Leventhal and school board member Jill Ortman-Fouse have pressed Montgomery County health officials to distribute condoms in schools.
This move follows a report showing STDs rates among people 15-29 in Montgomery County are rising faster than in any other county in Maryland. The study found that gonorrhea rates have risen 29 percent since 2016, while chlamydia rates have risen 17 percent.
The Department of Health and Humans Services (DHHS) is planning to work with the Maryland Department of Health to spend $360 to distribute 4,000 condoms each month to Montgomery County high school students. The county will be joining Baltimore and Fairfax among the growing list of schools districts that offer condoms or in-depth sexual education in the DMV area.
“There should be a little box in the nurse’s office where you can get condoms,” says junior Yael Greenberg. She thinks students should only be able to take one at a time to prevent the supply from disappearing too quickly. Senior Evelyn Hoon was not surprised by the increase in STD rates, but is happy to see the county doing something. “If it’s free and information is available, students will take advantage of it,” she said, “and hopefully things will improve.”
Although the number of students requesting condoms will be recorded, their names will not be, nor will their parents be notified of their request. Distribution began on October 1, so if you’re interested you can visit your school nurse today.
Article by MoCo Student Staff Writer Shannon Engel of Walter Johnson High School.