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A 15-year-old New Mexico girl was kicked out of school, then publicly humiliated because she was pregnant, according to the American
Civil Liberties Union.
Shantelle Hicks, who is an eight grader at Wingate Elementary School, says she was kicked out of school when administrators discovered she was pregnant.
However, since it is illegal for a school that receives public funding to expel a student due to pregnancy, the school allowed Hicks back in, but not with welcoming arms. Apparently, Hicks was led into a school assembly where she was forced to stand and tell everyone that she was pregnant.
“It was so embarrassing to have all the other kids staring at me as I walked into the gymnasium,” said Hicks in a statement. “I didn’t want the whole school to know I was pregnant because it’s not their business, and it wasn’t right for my teachers to single me out.”
The ACLU is now suing the school and the school district for violating Hicks Constitutional rights.
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nikki
March 20, 2012 at 3:18 pm
I was a pregnant teenager actually i had 2 children by the age of 19. I graduated high school and worked my a*s off to take care of my kids. I also went to college. My parents had nothing to do with my actions. I decided to have unprotected s*x and got pregnant. So to all you just down grading her how about encouraging her to do better. The school was wrong a need to b sued. If it were you or your child you would be p****d.
knutz
May 11, 2012 at 2:30 pm
I’d be more p****d if my daughter was out having s*x. just think how much easier your life might have been if you did not have 2 children . Not to mention a better quality of life your kids would have if you had a husband but I have to think with the way you have made decisions up to this point maybe its better you didn’t bring him home. I support women but sometimes the things they do don’t make sense . Think about the children
Anna Beza
March 13, 2012 at 3:44 am
i call bullshit on this.. i think we all need to hear the whole story. remember there are 3 sides to ever story.. her’s, the schools and the truth..
Tomi
March 13, 2012 at 3:16 am
Sue the school but not for monetary damages.
Instead sue to have the administrators removed from their jobs and banned from ever working in a public school for life.
Yes, it is a travesty that such a young girl is pregnant. However, her medical health is PRIVATE and what the school was intimidate her because she probably had no idea that she has a right to keep her medical situation to herself until such time she decides to share with the public.
What they did is not education. It’s abuse.
She should bring a civil suit against the personal administrators for punitive damages. They are no better than that fat jackass Limbaugh.
Hillari
March 13, 2012 at 2:51 am
No, she should not have been made to stand in front of the whole school and tell her story. Everybody would have figured it out over time, and on top of that, shaming her was not going to undue the damage that has already been done.
But like some other posters on here, I believe the girl herself, whoever the boy – or man – who’s the father, the girl’s family, and society in general is just as guilty for this situation.
I’m wondering did her family know about the school’s plans to shame the girl ahead of time. If they did, why didn’t they voice their opposition?
Daniella
March 13, 2012 at 1:53 am
No excuses for her actions but this was def uncalled for and not necessary. Of course she should not have had s*x and as a consequence she is pregnant HOWEVER, when you were 15 what were you involved in. What if this was your mother, daughter, cousin, friend? What if she was raped? At the end of the day NOBODY LIKES TO FEEL REJECTED AND EMBARRASSED as if we were merely nothing on this Earth. I would sue the brakes of this school and system. Only God can judge! Back in the old times, being married and having kids at 15 was normal. h**l that’s basically the life some of our grand and great grand parents lived. She needs love now more than ever. When we no longer look back but instead forward BECAUSE she is raising our next generation. May God be with her!
Colisa Kearns
March 13, 2012 at 1:23 am
Some of these comments are totally stupid…I haven’t seen in here where anyone was asking…Where were her parents and what role do they play in this…SO WHATTT…She made an misstake…Let me see if anyone of you cast the 1st damm stone…She is already embarass by her pregency…so why should the whole damm school know about it…If anything, why don’t they have some type of class or something to teach these young kids….Some of you are just comdeming this girl without knowing the whole truth…you know nothing about her past or how she’s living…So stop trying to be a damm Judge and Jury…JUST SAYING
momiechula26
March 12, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Another impregnated teenager…who cares…the problem with teens these days is they do whatever they want without no implications…she should be shamed!…FIRST OF ALL SHE IS 15 IN THE 8TH GRADE STILL….DUGHHHHH SHE ISNT EVEN IN THE RIGHT GRADE….she isnt even out of elementary school..wtf who are her parents…they need the s**t slapped out of them!!!!!!!!, so she is ignorant and already on her back getting ready to have child…sad…just so sad! PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID, YOU DEFENDING A 15 YEAR OLD THAT GOT BUSY OUTSIDE ON THE GROUND, CUZ SHE WAS A HOT a*s….SMH…PARENTS TAKE CARE OF YOUR KIDS INSTEAD OF LETTING THE T.V. RAISE THEM!
Mel
March 12, 2012 at 11:57 pm
I agree totally. My daughter is 15 and in the 10th grade so something is wrong with that to start with. Obviously she is not in school to learn if she is still in the 8th grade. If she isn’t embarassed about that then why would the whole school knowing she is pregnant embarass her?
dee
March 12, 2012 at 11:03 pm
That was wrong for the school to do. But another question is why is she 15 in the eight grade?
Abdul r chatman
March 10, 2012 at 2:18 am
Hi, my name is Sam Haye. I recently turned 19 years old on December 1st, 2011. I was born and raised in Staten Island, New York and then moved with my family to Dover, Delaware. I am an independent music artist who loves my country and attached with this message is the link to my official music video, “Good Morning, America.” I know that this is a BIG & TIMELY Song that will help uplift America and all of the dreamers who wish to fulfill the American Dream, with hopes of leading a better life for all generations. I am a firm believer in having the spirit of unity & I sincerely would like to help out in the effort to bridge gaps. I know that when people work together, possibilities are endless. I was raised in a household where my parents taught me to show love to everyone despite their creed, color, s****l orientation, etc., to lend a helping hand, treat others the way you’d want to be treated, & to ALWAYS stand up for what you believe in. Music is often times said to be “the Universal Language”, so I figure, What better way to get the message across! I know that most 19 year olds are not thinking this way, but I realize that my generation and the ones to come are the future of this world, and what WE DO COUNTS! I see a bright future ahead for us, but I know that I cannot do it alone. It will take a collective effort on all ends to get the job done.
LINK TO “GOOD MORNING, AMERICA”: http://youtu.be/8IaS1Maf4tM
RA Tavernier
March 9, 2012 at 11:10 pm
This is so hard to believe. Many girls under sixteen, have been sexually compromised by older males. The research indicates that they often become pregnant by older men (who could be jailed). In many insances, they will not reveal who the father is for this and other reasons; rape and i****t to name a few.The ACLU should take them to the mat. It is likely that this young girl was mistreated. What the school system did was abusive.
Chris
March 9, 2012 at 9:24 am
While I’m not for the public humiliation part of this story, I believe that we need to stop coddling these children who feel that it is their right to act as adults. It is a matter of safety and precaution that children are warned of such consequences and results because if the tide is not stemmed then it will likely lead to more and more underage pregnancies that will undermine the very fabric of morality and ethics of intimate activity that should be upheld with some of the most stringent of cautionary measures.
Michelle
March 9, 2012 at 8:04 am
If a person is embarrassed by their actions why do them? Maybe if more people were publicly exposed for their activities we wouldn’t have so many problems. More than likely someone will have to take care of her financially anyway.
Sharon Johnson Miller
March 9, 2012 at 7:14 am
Therefore this 15 year old child under the law was raped. Unless of course the person who impregnated her is also her age.. In that case why wasn’t he paraded and given the scarlet letter to wear?
New Mexico
The age of consent in New Mexico is 17 with age-gap, marital, and school employee provisions.[citation needed]
New Mexico Code > Chapter 30 > Article 9 > Section 30-9-11: Criminal s****l penetration.
“F. Criminal s****l penetration in the fourth degree consists of all criminal s****l penetration:
(1) not defined in Subsections C through E of this section perpetrated on a child thirteen to sixteen years of age when the perpetrator is at least eighteen years of age and is at least four years older than the child and not the spouse of that child; or:
(2) perpetrated on a child thirteen to eighteen years of age when the perpetrator, who is a licensed school employee, an unlicensed school employee, a school contract employee, a school health service provider or a school volunteer, and who is at least eighteen years of age and is at least four years older than the child and not the spouse of that child, learns while performing services in or for a school that the child is a student in a school.
Whoever commits criminal s****l penetration in the fourth degree is guilty of a fourth degree felony.”[64]
Sharon Johnson Miller
March 9, 2012 at 7:11 am
exbiastudent.. You are absolutely correct. I cannot stand judgemental a***s like the ones listed above.They don’t know the reason why this child was in the 8th grade at 15.. Perhaps she had an illness and had to take time off from school. Perhaps there is a rule that doesn’t advance. In my county, no matter if a child gets all As all year, if they get a low grade in one of the core classes in the last semester, they’re considered to have failed. I detest idiots who have no perspicacity to think besides their own biases. In some States a girl at 15 cannot consent to s*x under New Mexico Law..the age of consent in NM is 17.
exbiastudent
March 9, 2012 at 3:58 am
This is a Bureau of Indian Affairs Boarding School. The government runs it for American Indian students and they run some of the worse schools for American Indians that exist. That school bullied this girl. Maybe she was raped, who knows? But making her stand in front of her entire school and tell everyone she was pregnant was an awful thing to do to her. Unfortunately she could have gotten pregnant by a staffer at the school, BIA schools personnel have an awful reputation for sleeping with their students. I know I attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS and it happened all the time there. Just read haskellnews in the Lawrence Journal World (reader opinion pages.) Larry Echohawk and Keith Moore run those schools from Washington D.C. and they could care less.
Nicholas
March 9, 2012 at 3:52 am
How do any of us readers know if any of this is true? When did this happen and what is the source?
Trina
March 9, 2012 at 3:20 am
It is a major problem that this 15 year old is pregnant AND in the eight grade. It appears that there are other problems going on with her that might be systemic to her background and community resources. HOWEVER — this still DOES NOT give the school administrators the right to humiliate her like that. That is simply compounding the problem — which if they were ignorant enough to do something of this nature — I am sure the school administrators themselves are intellectually lacking.
naadabee
March 9, 2012 at 3:14 am
Oooooo! Pardon my typos people. I need to chill on the multi-tasking sometimes!
naadabee
March 9, 2012 at 3:12 am
Hmmm. I htink it is a shmae on both parts. Not sure that parading her in front of her peers was wise but I can see especialy since we know she didn’t get that way by heerself. I think that she’ll have a to deal with a lot of judgments and hopefully find some support that won’t write her off so quickly. this is an unfortunate situation but not hopeless and not a dream stealer. I do think that the boy or whoever got her that way needs to be held accountable andmade an example of as well. The ACLU shoudl maybe focus on THAT inequality.
apcsteel
March 9, 2012 at 2:10 am
Who is the father why isn’t he forced to be at the assembly with her
Hotep2You
March 9, 2012 at 1:39 am
While it is unfortunate that she was paraded in front of her peers and forced to publically disclose her pregnancy – what’s even more disturbing is that she’s 15-years old and pregnant. Perhaps if more children, and teens felt a since of shame and humiliation when becoming pregnant, or impregnating someone- IF they truly understood that if you have s*x there is a 50/50 chance that a pregnancy, or contracting an STD could result – then maybe…just maybe the rate of children, and unwed teens engaging in s****l activity would decrease. At the very least they’ll practice s*x. The impact … The real life effects of an unplanned pregnancy, or sexually transmitted disease for far too many youth (some adults too) is but a mystery. Contrary to the belief of many- Ignorance is certainly is not Bliss!
Hotep2You
March 9, 2012 at 1:43 am
*correction: sense of shame… And not since of shame…*
Tiamette
March 9, 2012 at 1:50 am
It’s O.K. about the typo, we understood what you meant. I completely agree with you.
Tiamette
March 9, 2012 at 1:10 am
Everybody was going to find out anyway. Better it comes from the horses mouth. Although I don’t think she should have been forced to admit it. Teens today have a different view of s*x than when I was that age. Everything in their world tells them that it is O.K. If another child gets pregnant, its not because of this. Teens today are not taught that there are consequences to actions. Think about who will be supporting these two. She probably won’t finish school and become a productive member of society. Fifteen year olds in America do have consensual s*x. The ACLU is the worst group of people to be associated with. They are the people who fight for teens to get contraception without parental notification.
brianna c
March 9, 2012 at 1:32 am
Thank you! Finally a voice of reason! How in the h**l can we sit up here and be like “oh poor 15yr old girl” she knew what the consequences were when she decided to have s*x without protection. I don’t believe the article said anything about this child being raped or molested, but at 15yrs old and you are still in the 8th grade, maybe her parents should have been talking to the school about that instead of the ACLU about this ridiculous lawsuit that we as tax payers are funding, however, at 15yrs old we were gonna pay for her and her child anyway!
dtown2288
March 9, 2012 at 3:14 am
How much time and money was wasted by prancing this young lady in front of the entire school when learning should’ve been taking place?
Diann Kirby
March 9, 2012 at 5:38 am
What the h**l is wrong with brianna and tiamette. the ‘child’ is 15 years old ! It is NEVER okay to shame a child, not if your intentions are to HELP. You self-righteous idiots were probably having s*x at 10 ! But you never pass up an opportunity to criticize others because you think it makes you look better. But what it really does is show what a inconsiderate, judgmental, narrow-minded person you are. Shame on YOU !!
Gigi
March 11, 2012 at 8:31 pm
Whether she knew the consequences of her actions or not is irrelevant. NO ONE had to right to make this girls stand before ANYONE and say ANYTHING, especially, ANYTHING of a PERSONAL NATURE.
Unless she chose to divulge this information, her being pregnant was her business and her family’s business and the baby’s father’s business, and the baby’s father’s family’s business, and theirs alone.
What this school did was improper, emotionally abusive, not within their authority to do, and is grounds for a BIG lawsuit.
Dana Mincey
March 12, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Miss me with the self-righteous b.s. You don’t know her situation, and guess what, its NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! The ACLU exists to protect those who don’t have the money to hire high-powered attorneys who golf with the district judges in the afternoons. Whether or not she was molested isn’t the issue, the issue is that pregnancy is a medical condition and under HIPAA, she shouldn’t be forced to reveal anything about her medical condition unless she wants to, and the school certainly isn’t allowed to force her to admit it.
Cheryl J
April 13, 2012 at 8:27 pm
What 15 year old thinks about the consequences of their actions? Heck what 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21 year old thinks about consequences? I’m not saying being 15, pregnant, and in the 8th grade is grand; but, you don’t know her story and neither did the administrator who made the decision to humiliate her.
Albert
March 9, 2012 at 7:46 am
And I guess you think it was okay for the school administers to force this young child to get up in front of the whole school and admit her mistake. I just assume that you must be in favor of inter vaginal ultra sounds for women or children who seek to abort those unplanned for pregnancies. I’m not for abortion but I don’t believe that the state should interfear with a womans personal health and living decisions. This school basically did to this child what the Republican right wing is trying to do to all women, not hold them accountable but shame them for their decisions. It’s nobodies business.
Monica
March 13, 2012 at 1:33 am
All pregnant fifteen year-olds are not destined for failure nor are they supported by the government. I take offense to this as I was also a pregnant fifteen year old. I elected not to live my life as a statistic. As a matter of fact, I graduated high school a semester before my peers with a 3.2GPA and began college before I even had my high school diploma. I graduated Magna c*m Laude from Jackson State University with a Special Education Degree. I am four months away from receiving my Masters in Administration and Supervision. I have just passed the School Leader Licensure Examination and have received my certification to become a school administrator. As for the baby I had, he went on to graduate from high school an entire year early with a 4.0 GPA and he is currently doing well as a college freshman majoring in computer engineering.
Instead of down-grading these girls, we need to pray for them and their circumstances and hope that they will make better choices in the future that will enable them to provide for themselves, their children and make a contribution to our society.
Courtney Knight
March 9, 2012 at 12:42 am
How incredibly awful. As if the girl doesn’t have enough on her plate, now the school has made sure she’s even MORE of a social outcast. Everyone who was in charge of that administration needs to be fired.
On top of that, do they know who impregnated the girl? Her being fifteen, I’d say there’s a pretty strong chance she didn’t get pregnant from a consensual relationship. Which makes this story even more vile and cruel.
Alfreada Brown-Kelly
March 9, 2012 at 12:41 am
Why would adults do such a thing. They should be sued. That is a cruel thing to do to a child. WOW!
sargento
March 9, 2012 at 12:30 am
Now you are going to have other eighth graders doing the same thing, because they also may want a baby. Have these school administrators lost their minds?
Cheryl J
April 13, 2012 at 8:23 pm
That makes no sense. Other students are going to get pregnant because they want to be humiliated in front of the entire school?