'Family planning services' at future Humble ISD clinic gives pause to district's Board of Trustees

HUMBLE, Texas (KTRK) -- Humble Independent School District's Board of Trustees will decide at its next meeting whether to cancel a contract with Memorial Hermann to build a clinic on their high school campus.

In 2021, Humble ISD and Memorial Hermann agreed to open a clinic that would provide free services, such as wellness exams, sports physicals, sick visits, mental health counseling, and more.

"The agreement was that we would build a clinic, and then Memorial Hermann would pay for all the medical pieces of that and staff it, etc.," Humble ISD Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Fagen said during their September board meeting.

According to Dr. Fagen, construction has not begun yet because of the pricing to build the facility.

A public hearing was held on the school-based health clinic at the September board meeting, but no one spoke.

Chris Parker, vice president of the school board, voiced concerns about the services Memorial Hermann planned to provide.

"I read the contract a few months ago, and two words gave me pause, and the two words were 'family planning,'" Parker said.

Other board members spoke up with concerns similar to Parker's.

"On one hand, we are saying the only protected way to be intimate is to abstain, and then on the other hand, we are saying, 'But if you want to, here's birth control on our campuses,'" Parker said. "I liken it to us taking a stand: 'We are anti-vape. We are not going to tolerate vape pens in Humble ISD. It is not good for kids, but if you're going to do it anyway, we will provide you a vape pen, and we'll be safe with it.'"

According to Superintendent Fagen, who says she clarified with Memorial Hermann, family planning services would include prescribing birth control.

"All our school-based health centers are implemented in close partnership with the schools, and our system works closely with each ISD to determine the mutually agreed upon services that will be available at each clinic," Teal Holden, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Services and Post-Acute Care for Memorial Hermann Health System, said in a statement.

Parents must provide written consent annually for their students to receive services.

"As part of the options for consent, parents or legal guardians can refuse to sign if they don't want their child to access any of our services, or they may also opt out of specific services provided in the clinic,'" Holden said.

Nichole Distfano has two daughters, a freshman and a senior at Humble High School. She is a single mother and cannot afford health insurance for her girls.

"I wasn't able to get the physical for her to play sports because I would have had to pay out of pocket for that, and that's kind of expensive," Distfano said.

Her daughter was not able to play sports this year because of it. Distfano said she is in favor of the clinic not only because it would provide healthcare for her daughters but also because it would provide access to birth control for students.

"There are at least three girls pregnant in my daughter's freshmen class, so I think that would be an awesome asset to offer to high schoolers," Distfano said.

Another parent Natalie, who has a son currently at the high school, said her daughter got pregnant when she was 15 years old. She said they had health insurance at the time but were unaware her daughter was sexually active. She believes students would feel comfortable expressing their need for contraception if a clinic was on campus.

"I feel like if they had offered these types of services when she was in school, that would have been something we would have been on board with," Natalie said. "We would have been more knowledgeable. She would have had the access right here."

Memorial Hermann already operates seven health centers for schools throughout the city, serving over 75 school campuses in numerous districts.

The item was eventually tabled at the September meeting so trustees could gather more information.

It will be taken up at the Oct. 17 meeting.

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