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Lawrence Public Schools will offer free condoms on high school campuses

Condoms readily available to students by Nov.
Posted at 6:00 PM, Sep 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-27 19:43:49-04

Lawrence Public Schools believes it will be the first school district in the state to have free condoms readily available for all students at its high schools.

The school board approved the decision Monday to have condoms dispensed in the nurse’s office at both Lawrence High School and Free State High School. Condoms will be provided by Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and are expected to be made available by the end of October. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is providing plastic dispensers.

"We’re trying not to restrict access to any students that are looking to have condoms. And that includes students that are not necessarily sexually active. So students who are curious about condoms, how to use them properly, what they look like...,” said Michael Showalter, health promotions specialist with Lawrence Douglas County Health Department. “It is just one way to overcome those barriers that students already have to protection."

According to Lawrence Public Schools, the readily available condoms on campus is just another asset to its comprehensive sexuality education. They also said so far there’s been very little pushback on the effort.

"We encourage students to go home and talk to their families. Everyone has their own values and morals on this,” said Denise Johnson, ESL, health and wellness coordinator for the school district. "We have in our ninth grade classes, we actually show how to put a condom on. I mean there's steps. There's things to look for."

According to the latest numbers from the CDC (2013), 39 percent of Kansas teens have had sexual intercourse. Of those teens, 44 percent didn’t use a condom and 89 percent didn’t use a condom or birth control method that includes pills, implant, shot, patch or ring.

"We’re really doing our best to strengthen the comprehensive sexuality education that already exists in Lawrence public schools by helping students who are already sexually active make the best decisions for their health … there is no link between access to condoms and increased sexual activity among youth,” said Showalter.

"Students that are already going to have sex are going to have sex, and the only thing that we can do as responsible public health individuals and as public health experts is provide them the most basic resources to help them make the best decisions for their health," said Showalter. 

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Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com

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