Clara Atwell, Reporter
Last winter, VHS nurse, Sarah Day, stopped refilling the free condom basket near the counselors’ offices, because students were using them as water balloons and for other pranks. This left the classroom of Health and Leadership teacher Kara Sears and Day’s office as the only places for students to get free condoms.
The decision to stop filling the basket near the counselors’ offices was made when Day found that she would have to refill it daily, because students were taking and misusing such large quantities of condoms.
On Nov. 3, the teen council, with the help of Day, brought the free condoms back to an area near the counselors’ offices. This year, the condoms are in a dispenser which makes it harder for students to take more than one. The teen council is optimistic that these condoms will be used for their intended purpose.
“I am very hopeful that this will go well, because it is really, really important,” said Day. “Sexually transmitted infections are skyrocketing in young people and it’s so important to protect kids so they don’t end up with a life-long diseases.”
According to the New York Times, cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been on the rise in recent years in the US, with 2016 being a record year for reported cases. With 80 percent of teens being sexually active, it puts them at high risk for contracting an STD. According to Cynthia Morrison, manager of Washington State Department of Health’s Adolescent Health Program, in an interview with ParentMap, one in four sexually active teens (age 19 and under) has an STD.
“[The teen council is] hoping to give students an easier access to birth control in an inexpensive and safe way that also doesn’t feel awkward,” said teen council member Maijah Sanson-Frey. “We want to help prevent unsafe sex, [and] decrease STDs and unwanted pregnancies.”