Showdown in San Diego

From the California Catholic Daily [boldface mine]:

ACLU, Planned Parenthood challenge school district’s parental notification policy; pro-family groups oppose any change

Urgent update (as of January 18): The San Diego Unified School District's parental notification policy will not be discussed by the school board on Jan. 22 as originally reported. School district attorneys are still working out the details of a new policy and have not finished their work in time for the Jan. 22 meeting. "At this time, the proposal is still being revised; it has not yet been scheduled for a return to the board," Jack Brandais, a school district spokesman, informed California Catholic Daily.

Original post: Under fire from Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, trustees of the San Diego Unified School District will consider changing a longstanding policy requiring school officials to notify parents when a student leaves campus for an abortion during the school day at what is expected to be a long and contentious meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 22.

Current school district policy, in effect for more than 20 years, provides “under no condition is a student to leave the school grounds before dismissal without the approval of his/her parent or guardian and the principal or the principal’s specifically designated representative.”

That policy, says the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties is “antiquated and dangerous” and “in direct conflict with California’s medical emancipation statutes, which permit a minor to obtain reproductive health care without parental notice or consent.”

Both the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, citing state law and an opinion from the California attorney general, contacted the school district urging a change in the policy. A May 2007 letter to the school superintendent under the dual letterhead of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood said the district’s existing policy “does not comply with California law and endangers vulnerable young women.”

At a Dec. 11 school board meeting, trustees reviewed proposed changes to the policy from their legal staff, but decided to take no action until district lawyers had more time to work on a revised policy. That delay provoked Planned Parenthood and the ACLU even further. An ACLU news release the day following the school board meeting said, “We are disappointed that the policy was not corrected, and call on the San Diego School Board to do so at once.”

A draft of the proposed new policy indicates school lawyers are willing to incorporate the “medical emancipation” provisions of state law, but with a broad exception in cases in which school officials believe a student’s pregnancy or plans for an abortion present “a clear and present danger to the health, safety or welfare of the student.” In such cases, school counselors, nurses or administrators would be permitted to inform parents.

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU insist that any parental notification violates state law. . .

Read it all, and in the comments section, for those in San Diego who may want to speak against this change, here's some contact info:

I will be planning to take a group to the school board to make a stand against this abominable attempt to prevent parents from knowing when their young daughters are leaving school to get the abortion operation. Please let me know via email if you would like to be a part of the group we will be putting together for our presentation at the school board. email: hartline08@gmail.com James Hartline Candidate, San Diego City Council District 3 www.hartline08.com