Seriously??? Teen Mom’s Photo Excluded from Yearbook

Just when I thought I had seen it all, and right on the heels of our announcement two days ago of a great Title IX pregnancy discrimination settlement with the City University of New York, my colleague forwards me this article and video from HuffPo. Apparently last summer a North Carolina high school allowed its rising seniors to pose for senior photos with props that represented their achievements, who they are, what they like, etc. Some students posed with footballs, some even posed with their family pets, and teen mom Caitlin Tiller posed with her baby. Touchingly, Caitlin explains that her son “helped me get to where I am today.” She said that after giving birth she started to work harder in school – she even graduated early, began college classes in January and got a part-time job working 30 hours a week. She added: “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him.”

Still, a month ago school officials told Caitlin that they would not print the photo of her with her baby. They said the baby should not be pictured because he is not “school related.” Boy, would I love to hear them explain how a family pet is “school related.” The school also said – and here is where the truth comes out – that they thought it would encourage teen pregnancy. There it is again, folks, the all-powerful “teen pregnancy is contagious” myth. It’s just not true. And sadly, that myth kept the school from doing what I think would have been the right thing: supporting and encouraging a hard-working and accomplished young mother.

Yet another reminder that even though we have come a long way since Title IX was passed in 1972, we still have a long way to go