Should Elementary Schools Give Condoms to Students?

June 24, 2010— -- When kindergarten through fifth grade students return to class at Veterans Memorial Elementary School in Provincetown, Mass., this fall, they'll be able to ask the school nurse for condoms.

Thanks to a new, district-wide policy approved by the Provincetown School Board, condoms are now available to students in all schools, regardless of their age. Parents will not be informed if their kids request condoms.

Officials say that there's no set age when sexual activity starts and students who ask for condoms will also receive counseling and information on abstinence.

Debate over the decision focused not on whether condoms should be available, but whether the policy was too restrictive for students, particularly those in high school. According to the Provincetown Banner, some committee members were worried that students will be forced to speak to a nurse, instead of having access in a more discreet way.

Not everyone is thrilled by the idea of condoms for elementary kids. Some Provincetown parents have expressed skepticism, and Kris Mineau, president of the conservative Massachusetts Family Institute, says the entire concept is absurd.

Our question to you today: Should elementary schools distribute condoms to students?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.