[February 20 2024] DCist covers new legislation for parenting teens, highlights DC NEXT! Context Team
Tyrone Turner / DCist/WAMU
D.C. Council Likely To Pass Bill To Help Teen Parents Stay In School
The D.C. Council is considering a bill that would allow expecting and new parents in public schools to continue their education at home or in the hospital.
At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, who introduced the bill, says it would make education more accessible and improve lifelong outcomes for young parents. If the bill becomes law, it would set a District-wide standard for accommodations that currently vary by school.
“Whether or not a student who is pregnant gets to continue their education shouldn’t be based on the feelings or the empathy of a school leader,” she says.
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Parents whom the bill would have impacted tell DCist/WAMU that it would have been helpful when they were in the D.C. school system. Tatiyana Bell says going back to school right after giving birth was difficult for her as a new mother……….Unlike Bell, NaZyia Lashley had her child during the COVID-19 pandemic. That made her experience easier because she was able to stay at home……
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Both Lashley and Bell are in the D.C. Network for Expectant and Parenting Teens (DC NEXT!), which advocates for the needs of young parents in the District and is part of the nonprofit DC Action. They’re part of the network’s “Context team,” a group of young parents whose lived experience informs DC NEXT!’s work.
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Patricia Quinn, former director of DC NEXT! and vice president of policy and partnerships at the DC Primary Care Association, says that data shows that keeping young parents in school should be a priority.
“There’s nothing inevitable about bad outcomes for young families,” Quinn says. “We have a real vested interest in keeping young people who are expecting or parenting in school. Making sure they never leave.”
Supporting young parents, she says, would mean shifting away from a culture of stigma toward one that actively works for their success. There are still many other barriers to education for young parents, like the expense of childcare and food and housing insecurity.
Read the full article here.