A Hallway at Lincoln Park High School, a School for Pregnant Students and Young Mothers, in Brownsville, Texas
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In the early morning hours, Yarezi Alvarado, a seventeen-year-old from Brownsville, Texas, begins her daily routine of preparing for school.
However, Yarezi's daily preparations don't end with packing her backpack. As a mother to her one-year-old Kamila, who joins her onboard the bus, she consistently supplies the essentials, such as diapers, milk, wipes, and her "must-have" clean clothes to ensure a fresh start to the day. Located just a couple of miles from the Mexican border, the Lincoln Park High School is situated amid a low-income Hispanic community.
Catering to girls between ages 14-22 who are currently expecting or have recently given birth, Lincoln Park High School provides educational facilities alongside an on-site childcare centre. The centre assures care for the little ones while the aforementioned mothers attend their respective classes. They are even permitted visits for nursing purposes. Yarezi praises the level of special care and proximity, expressing immense relief for her child's well-being. It's safe to say this setup has a major impact on her life. Over the past year and a half, several states, including Texas, have implemented bans on abortion following the US Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v Wade. This landmark ruling has safeguarded American women's abortion rights for the past fifty years.
The Lone Star State seems hesitant to approach certain issues. Although there are no mandates for sex education in schools, minors seeking contraception must obtain adult consent. While Yarezi's mother is supportive of her access to contraception, some of her peers experience discrimination within their families or previous schools. Consequently, a few of them reside with a relative or the father of their child. Interestingly, data from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) depicts a downward trend in adolescent birth rates, particularly for those between the ages of 15 to 19, which has dropped by three per cent from the last year.
The current birth rate is 78 per cent lower than it was thirty years ago, a significant decrease. However, in Texas, young Hispanic women have a birth rate that is 2.4 times higher than that of young white women, according to data from 2021 provided by the NGO Healthy Futures of Texas. The CDC suggests that limited access to healthcare, as well as low education and family income levels, contribute to the high birth rates among teenagers and young women. Interestingly, there have been cases where former students of Lincoln Park, a school established in the 1990s, have returned years later with their daughters who are now pregnant. Lincoln Park stands as one of the few educational establishments of its kind in the entire United States.
Lincoln Park students encounter a range of obstacles such as absences resulting from medical appointments or nights spent tending to their infants. Although English is the main language of instruction, most students are proficient in both English and Spanish, as they live close to the border with Mexico. To assist students who are unable to attend school after giving birth, teachers conduct home visits. Furthermore, the school, which receives state funding, employs a dedicated nurse to offer specialized support.