Poway Schools Ban Counseling on Pregnancy : Education: Teachers and counselors are forbidden to advise on birth control, abortion or related issues.

The Poway Unified School District board voted unanimously Monday to adopt a controversial set of guidelines restricting counselors and teachers from advising students about pregnancy issues.

The guidelines require that all district employees “refrain from advising students on specific courses of action as related to pregnancy alternatives” such as birth control or abortion.

At an evening meeting that drew 120 parents and community leaders, the board members voted, 3 to 2, to amend their original proposed guidelines to allow students to obtain lists of community pregnancy counseling agencies upon request.

Parents on both sides of the issue said Monday night that they felt the amendment was an adequate compromise.

“It was never our intention to have a restrictive policy that would infringe on any parents’ rights,” said Mike Charron, a parent who has supported limiting students’ access to pregnancy counseling at school since April.

Some critics of the guidelines, however, said they would limit students’ access to information, particularly for those who may not be able to approach their parents on the issue.

“The students have the right to consult the counselor, teacher or adult person in whom they have confidence to seek advice on life problems, not just pregnancy, but any number of situations,” said Bill Crawford, president of the Poway Federation of Teachers.

Proponents of the plan said teachers and counselors are not trained to conduct pregnancy counseling, and that parents should be allowed to not allow school personnel to advise their children on issues of pregnancy.

“No matter how nice or good these people are, they may counsel my child completely opposite the viewpoint of how I want my child to be counseled,” said Connie Youngkin, a parent activist and former candidate for the state Legislature.

School district officials said the policy only puts into writing what is already practiced by teachers and counselors, and that getting parents involved has always been the first step.

“Yes, we do talk to kids when they say they are pregnant, and we counsel them on educational issues, but we don’t talk to them about getting abortions and that kind of stuff,” Supt. Bob Reeves said.

Youngkin and others say, however, that teachers and counselors in the past have referred students to family planning clinics and agencies that perform abortions.

Youngkin also has pushed for drawing up a consent form by which parents could allow school employees to counsel their children on pregnancy issues.

“I don’t want the school involved in my child’s (pregnancy) counseling whatsoever, but I still think that other parents need to have that choice if they want or not want them to have that counseling,” Youngkin said.

Both Crawford and Planned Parenthood, which sent the district a letter expressing opposition to the plan, agree that getting parents involved should be the first step but said there are situations, such as where there are abusive parents, in which it may not be feasible.

This policy “casts teens in crisis adrift and tells them, basically, ‘If you are not able to talk to your parents about this, we can’t help you,’ ” said Lenore Lowe, director of communications for Planned Parenthood agencies in San Diego and Riverside counties.