Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Kentucky

Re: dropping out school

I am not familiar with the rules in Kentucky regarding school attendance, but I respectfully suggest that you and your daughter look at this from a long-term perspective, and consider other alternatives before choosing to drop out. You did not indicate the reason for choosing to drop out. Some girls do not want to be seen pregnant by their classmates, some have parents who are ashamed, some fear that pregnancy and school work are incompatible, particularly if the due date is during the school term, but all of those issues can be resolved short of dropping out.

I suggest that the wiser approach may be to seek legal advice only after having first sought guidance from the professionals in Kentucky who specialize in assisting pregnant teens with their choices. I would be surprised if Kentucky does not have a wealth of resources, through schools, social service agencies, churches and other no-profit organizations, geared to helping pregnant high school girls find the kind of support systems they need during this difficult, challenging and exciting time. A good education will, in the long run, help to equip your daughter to be a better mother, a more self-confident adult, and a better provider of financial support and life guidance for her new family.

It is, of course, a difficult time, and dropping out � dropping out of everything � will seem to your daughter like an attractive solution. But there are literally millions of 16-year-olds who have gotten pregnant before her, and most of them have been pregnant in undoubtedly more difficult circumstances. I urge you and your daughter to reach out to those who are ready to reach out to support you both, so that 5-10 years from now she can look back and see how much she learned, grew and matured in weathering this storm, and not look back regretting she never got a high school education and ever-after lived life as a �drop-out� in more than just the high school sense. With your support and guidance, she can get a high school degree (even if at a different place), become a terrific mother and self-confident human being � one who can be proud of herself, proud of her child, proud of her parents, and proud of the good she has contributed back to the world.

My heartfelt best wishes to you both.

John