At the Delhi Charter School, a state-funded K-12 school in northern Louisiana, students who are suspected of being pregnant are required to take a pregnancy test. According to the school's policy, if the results show up positive—or if she refuses to take a test—the student will be kicked out of the classroom, forced to finish from home if she decides to continue her education with the school.
On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union warned Delhi to drop their unconstitutional "Student Pregnancy Policy," or prepare for a lawsuit:
Besides violating Title IX, the policy is also in violation of the Constitution's due process right to procreate, and equal protection: it treats female students differently from male students and relies on archaic stereotypes linked to sex and pregnancy.
Pregnancy is the number one reason girls drop out of school, with 70 percent of pregnant teenagers leaving school.
Louisiana education officials are calling for end to the discriminatory policy. In a statement released Tuesday, the Louisiana State Department of Education said "We are requiring an immediate change to the policy." According to TODAY.com, the Delhi Charter School has until August 16 to provide documentation showing a change in policy.
Though the school maintains that there have been no complaints about the policy in the past, administrators say that the school is under legal review "to ensure that necessary revisions are made so that our school is in full compliance with constitutional law."
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