Yearbook spread honoring teen parents sparks anger, controversy

Yearbook spread honoring teen parents sparks anger, controversy

(AZ Central, The Arizona Republic)


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MESA, Ariz. — Within the pages of a high-school yearbook, there’s usually a place for everybody. You’ve got the band, the choir kids, the cheerleaders, the athletes, the chess club — each individual is given a page on which to shine.

But parents of kids at an Arizona high school argue there’s one group that has no business being spotlighted: teen parents.

Mesa High School devoted a two-page spread to students who are expecting or who already have children. The pages — titled “I’m working a double shift” — were meant to highlight the difficulties of attending high school while at the same time tackling the responsibilities of parenthood, according to the Arizona Republic.

“Suddenly, you are not only working, but you’re working to support your new bundle of joy, spending your paychecks on essentials like diapers, baby formula, tiny little socks and shoes, and, of course, books!” the feature reads.

It also includes photos of teen parents smiling with their toddlers and babies, and one photo shows a young man cradling the belly of his very pregnant girlfriend.


There are other kids who have worked harder for better accomplishments. (The young parents) have a whole page for their kids

–student Gregory Gomez


The teen-parent spread didn’t sit well with a different parental set — those with teenagers. Soon after the yearbook’s release, the phone in the principal’s office wouldn’t quit ringing. Parents and even some students expressed frustration over the pages, claiming they send a very erroneous message.

“It’s wonderful that they’re still in school and trying to finish up their education, but at the same time, it doesn’t really convey the reality of what they’re going through,” parent Shelly Adams told the Daily News.

She also voiced concern the spread portrayed teen parenting as “cute.”

Some students felt it frustrating that students who were pregnant or already parents received recognition alongside those who'd earned academic achievements. Several of them glued the two pages together in protest.

“There are other kids who have worked harder for better accomplishments,” student Gregory Gomez told the Republic. “(The young parents) have a whole page for their kids.”

The school’s principal declined to comment on the controversy, but the Mesa Public School District acknowledged the feature may have been inappropriate for a yearbook.

“A yearbook is to commemorate the achievements of the students, particularly the senior class,” district spokeswoman Helen Hollands told the Republic. “Probably this would not fall into that category.”

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However, Hollands went on to note that despite the fallout from the yearbook pages, the faculty and staff at Mesa High School fully support the academic pursuits and accomplishments of their teen parents and remain “100 percent behind” them. The district has no plans to change policy regarding what can and can’t be included in high school yearbooks, she said.

Not all parents found the pages offensive, instead just a representation of “a new norm.”

Sex education isn’t mandatory in Arizona, with many schools advocating for abstinence, the Republic reports.

Meanwhile, a yearbook at a Utah high school recently came under scrutiny for a very different reason. Students at Wasatch High School were surprised to see that photos of teen girls wearing clothes deemed “immodest” had been edited to cover shoulders and necklines and to obscure tattoos.

District officials are standing by the school’s decision — claiming the students had been warned that any outfits in violation of the school’s dress code would be altered in photos. Some parents and students affected by the alterations argue they were victims of discrimination.

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Jessica Ivins

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