A school in Delhi, Louisiana is taking matters into its own hands when dealing with the state’s high rate of teen pregnancy. The school, Delhi Charter School, will not welcome any pregnant teens and will make its students take a pregnancy test if they are suspected of being pregnant. Should a student be pregnant, she is no longer permitted to take classes on campus and will have to transfer to another school or being home schooling. Delhi Charter School will expel any student who refuses to take a pregnancy test. The school handbook says:
If an administrator or teacher suspects a student is pregnant, a parent conference will be held. The school reserves the right to require any female student to take a pregnancy test to confirm whether or not the suspected student is in fact pregnant. The school further reserves the right to refer the suspected student to a physician of its choice. If the test indicates that the student is pregnant, the student will not be permitted to attend classes on the campus of Delhi Charter School.
If a student is determined to be pregnant and wishes to continue to attend Delhi Charter School, the student will be required to pursue a course of home study that will be provided by the school…Any student who is suspected of being pregnant and who refuses to submit to a pregnancy test shall be treated as a pregnant student and will be offered home study opportunities. If home study opportunities are not acceptable, the student will be counseled to seek other educational opportunities.
Earlier this week the ACLU of Louisiana and the ACLU Women’s Rights Project submitted a letter to Delhi Charter School stating that the policy for pregnant students is “in blatant violation of federal law and the U.S. Constitution.” The letter also asked the school to end its policy and told the school that it violates the following laws: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, The Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and The Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.