Each week the Mentor Patch Moms Council answers a question on parenthood posed to them by readers or another member of council.

This week's question: This week's question comes with a bit of reading. Here's a link to an NY Times story about some high schools that are distributing birth control -- including condoms and morning-after pills.

What is your reaction to this program? Is it a bit of pragmatism, unfortunate or otherwise? Another indication of society's decline? A nonissue that's being pumped up by the media?

Would you be comfortable with contraceptives being distributed at local high schools?

Melanie Majikas:

I don't have an issue with the existence of the program, but I do think it should be done as a parent opt-in rather than an opt-out for anything that involves medication, mostly to keep it consistent with the way that other medications are administered or provided during school hours.

Getting a Tylenol from the school nurse requires a doctor's note and parental approval, so I think this really should work the same way.

I am fine with condoms being distributed without parental permission though. I think it's pragmatic.

Devone Lansing:

I think the way that parents are notified is ridiculous. By having the child take home a letter? By regular snail mail? And it's only a notification, not a letter that needs to be signed giving consent.

This is a drug that should only be dispensed by a doctor if it's dispensed at all - and that's a whole other issue, in my opinion. The parent should have to sign their approval in person right in front of whoever is dispensing the pill.

School nurses aren't even allowed to give out Tylenol or put antibiotic ointment on a bandaid, are they? Kids can't even get their ears pierced without informed parental consent! How in the world is this okay?

Parents HAVE to step up to the plate here. Why are our schools the ones teaching about sex? Do you really want the government to be the ones imparting values to your children? Have you noticed the turn our government has taken?

Take some responsibility for your kids. I would be outraged if someone gave the "morning after pill" to my child. These kids don't have a clue what they are doing! This is nothing more than an abortion in pill form.

Kids shouldn't be allowed to make these decisions on their own. This is something that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Kids can't see around corners. Their brains aren't even all the way formed yet, for Pete's sake! We are going from kids having kids to kids killing kids and they don't even know it. It's disgraceful.

We are going to hell in a handbasket, people. Wake up. Teach your kids right  from wrong. Yes, I'm from the "old school" that says "Yes, there are absolute truths."

And, yes, our children need to know about them. I don't wonder why our test scores are down. I don't wonder why we are falling behind other countries. I don't wonder why there is so much violence. I don't wonder why many children expect to be handed a living without working for it. I don't wonder why sex and teen pregnancy and abortion are running rampant in our schools and our communities.

I know why. You probably know it too.

Mary Jo Stack:

I have no problem with the schools handing out condoms. I'm not quite sure about the morning after pill.

I am hearing complaints about the opt out program, that is where I have a problem. You see we also have an opt out program with military recruiters which I feel should be an opt in program.

I do believe our schools should be teaching sex ed because way too many parents do not. You usually have to sign forms for these programs to be taught. If we think our kids aren't having sex, we are pretty blind.

Studies have shown that abstinence-only programs do not work, so our kids need to know.