A free condom program has been approved for expansion for 24 of Chicago’s high schools. Already, two high schools receive these supplies. The mayor has defended the program to allow for the distribution of condoms at two dozen more schools as a way of decreasing sexually transmitted diseases and lowering the amount of teen pregnancies.
Chicago Public high schools (CPS) will kick off the free condom program to the new schools on the list come this autumn. The program is a part of a wider campaign on teen pregnancy prevention, and is being supported by a $20 million federal grant. According to CPS officials, over 50 percent of the district’s high school student body report on being sexually active. However, less than two-thirds of them claim to have used a condom within the last four weeks, as reported by NBC Chicago.
Already, Collins and Foreman high schools have free condoms available for their students. The entire school district will be collaborating with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) to pick which particular schools will join them in the free condom initiative, which is a pilot program for the time being. At present, CDPH hands out free condoms at more than 400 locations throughout Chicago.