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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Montgomery Co. Public Schools Expand Free Condom Program

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Thursday, September 13, 2018   

ROCKVILLE, Md. – After seeing a double-digit surge in chlamydia and gonorrhea, the Montgomery County school board voted unanimously Tuesday to offer condoms at all of its high schools.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a continuous rise of sexually transmitted diseases nationwide.

In Montgomery County, sexually transmitted infection cases have reached a 10-year high, which prompted Jill Ortman-Fouse, an at-large member of the Montgomery County Board of Education, to propose the resolution making condoms more accessible in school health rooms and clinics.

"The research shows that having condoms available coupled with sexual health education makes a difference, and I think some people were concerned that we're just going to be distributing the condoms or having them in baskets, which they absolutely do in other school systems," she states.

Ortman-Fause says it's a myth that if you talk about sex, young people will have more sex.

Opponents also have argued there is not enough data to show providing condoms will make a difference.

While health department staff will help answer students' questions, Ortman-Fause says she hopes it triggers more conversations at home with families and guardians to discuss the facts about sexual education.

In order to receive a condom, a student will have to go to his or her school's designated health rooms and make the request.

Ortman-Fause says this was a conservative middle ground for concerned parents, even if some students might still be uncomfortable having a discussion about their sexual activities with a health professional.

"That is a concern of mine, but we have to start somewhere, and I think the school system was very concerned about pushback from the community,” she states. “You know, this is simply a public health measure just like vaccinations, but there is a whole lot of cultural baggage attached to it. "

Making condoms available isn't new. The district began the school year offering the contraceptive at four high schools.

Since 2012, Washington, D.C. has been running an initiative to tackle teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and has expanded those services to all schools in the district.


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