Portland School Committee members approved a decision last Wednesday to allow access to contraceptives to middle school students in grades six through eight at King Middle School.

And while the decision has created a whirlwind of controversy in Portland and nationally, officials and leaders in the Lakes Region are voicing their opinions, too.

Casco resident Donna Norton, who serves on the SAD 61 school board, said she does not anticipate having to vote on an issue like this, because the district does not offer a health center in any of its schools.

She does, however, feel that sexual activity among young teens is an issue that Lakes Region students, parents and school officials face, and that poverty is a real social problem in the area. She estimates that 60 percent of Bridgton students receive free or reduced lunch.

“I think we see a lot of the same social issues they see in Portland. When you have those types of numbers, it comes with social problems and some of those issues they’re facing in Portland,” said Norton.

Norton, who has a student in middle school, added that if she was faced with a proposal to allow middle school students access to birth control, she would likely vote against it, and that other solutions would need to be explored. Norton would like to see more money allocated in the school budget for social work in the school system.

“It’s not about the pregnancy rate. It’s about social issues and better parenting,” said Norton.

The Portland School Committee’s 5-2 decision to make contraceptives, including birth control pills and the patch, came after five King Middle School students reported they were sexually active to the school nurse. King is one of three middle schools in Portland that have reported 17 pregnancies during the last four years. The school is the most ethnically diverse of the three middle schools, and has the highest number of students who receive free or reduced lunch, an indicator of poverty.

The issue is an emotional one. Many revile the thought of kids as young as 11 being sexually active, though King Middle School maintains that the program is geared toward the oldest students in the school, ages 13 and 14. But many feel these serious decisions are not up to the public school system, and the issue has become a moral, political and religious one.

Portland’s Republican City Committee is leading an effort to unseat three of the School Committee members who voted in favor of the proposal. It is seeking the 500 signatures needed move forward with the process that could result in a recall election. Meanwhile, committee members are making no move to reconsider the decision.

Committee member Ben Meiklejohn, one of two members to vote against the proposal, said he has made an attempt to limit access to contraceptives to older students and allow students to use the health center without access to birth control, if their parents wish.

“I’ve put forward a resolution to bring clarity to the scope of services…to define this as available to students 14 and older. I think it’s dead on arrival. I don’t think there is any support from the committee for it,” said Meiklejohn.

Bishop Richard Malone, of the Catholic Diocese of Portland, expressed his shock in a statement made following the decision, saying that it “promotes a purely pragmatic response to the moral problem of sexual activity in young people.”

Father Joseph Daniels, pastor of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bridgton, said that he made a short statement to his parishioners on Sunday, echoing the Bishop’s sentiment. Daniels called the decision “presumptuous,” and said that parents should be the first moral educators of their children.

“My goal is simply to reinforce what I hope is the instinct to take the initiative…so that children have a strong sense of values and how they should conduct themselves,” said Daniels.

“In short, this really is a wake-up call to parents,” said Daniels.

But some have argued that not all children come from families that offer adequate guidance. Janice Barter lives in Naples, and is a member of the SAD 61 school board. Also, her husband is a family physician, and she manages the office of his Naples practice.

“Coming from that perspective, I understand the need for health care. Contraceptives are part of health care,” said Barter.

Barter said that while middle school students are too young to be engaging in sexual intercourse, it is a reality. She has seen middle school-aged girls come into her husband’s practice pregnant.

“Unfortunately, we can’t all be blessed with parents that are going to talk to us openly and honestly about sex issues. It does happen. It’s kids having kids. It’s that cycle of poverty again,” said Barter.

Although Barter is in favor of making contraceptives available, she feels that the Portland school board could have done a better public relations job. But she believes that Portland has the same communication problems her board experiences, where members of the public rarely attend meetings.

“You don’t have a lot of people coming to a meeting unless you have a controversial issue like this,” said Barter.