After years of pushback from parents, a Planned Parenthood facility located in a high school is being shut down.
The Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District (NLMUSD) in southern California, which serves mostly minority families, signed a three-year agreement with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to have a “well-being center” at John Glenn High School; by 2022, parents discovered that it was being operated by Planned Parenthood, and were outraged.
In addition to testing students for sexually transmitted infections, providing treatment for STIs, and providing contraception of various kinds (including birth control pills and even IUDs), the well-being center referred students to other Planned Parenthood facilities for abortions upon request.
Minors can undergo abortions without parental consent in California, and when students were treated at the well-being center on campus, the medical records were maintained by Planned Parenthood — which were not accessible to parents or guardians without permission from the student first.
READ: 5 things to know about Planned Parenthood’s agenda for kids in school
“Families and taxpayers should be horrified that the Norwalk-La Mirada USD is considering a partnership with Planned Parenthood,” Nicole Neily, President and founder of Parents Defending Education, told Fox News Digital at the time. “To add insult to injury, there is no way for parents to EVER obtain this information, as the contract asserts that all medical records are to be maintained by Planned Parenthood.” She added, “For over 100 years, federal courts have consistently found that parents – and not schools – maintain primary decision-making authority over their children, particularly when it comes to medical care. The Norwalk-La Mirada school board should be ashamed that this contract is even up for consideration – and be mindful of their significant legal exposure should it be ratified.”
Aided by MassResistance and its national field director, Arthur Schaper, parents continued protesting, showing up at school board meetings and distributing flyers, but the school tried to fight back. In addition, the school board originally tried to prevent parents from discussing it during meetings, and released questionable surveys claiming there was widespread support for the center.
This summer, the principal at John Glenn High School announced in an e-mail to staff that the contract with the well-being center will not be renewed. It officially expired on June 30th, with school board officials allegedly saying the non-stop pressure from parents played a significant role in the decision.
Editor’s Note, 7/17/24: This post has been updated since original publication to include further detail.
