Reading, Writing and Condoms

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In some high schools around the country, students can get condoms (search) without the permission of their parents. The thinking is that if a student is going to have sex, it's the school's obligation to protect him or her.

This, of course, is debatable. And Talking Points believes the school is under no such obligation. If a student is going to drink, should the school provide a shot glass and a chaperon? Parents have rights, too.  And if a parent doesn't want his or her child to receive birth control from a school, that parent's wishes should be honored.

So at the very least, schools should demand that parents sign waivers before any condom or birth control distribution takes place. Monitoring off-campus social behavior is not the responsibility of the school, period.  That's why this condom deal is wrong. Educators should not be in the sex business, other than teaching classes about health and social dynamics. So applying sexual devices is way out there if you think about it.

You may remember that Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elders was fired by President Clinton for suggesting that students be taught alternative techniques to intercourse. Now Dr. Elders was right in theory. Kids are way better off if they don't procreate, but incredibly wrong in practice because again, schools should not be in the sex business.

Once again, we are seeing society failing to understand that the breakdown of the family cannot  be solved by the public schools. Intense counseling of troubled and undisciplined children should be the mandate, not stuffing their knapsacks full of condoms.

In just a moment, we'll tell you about a study by George Washington University that says condoms at schools don't promote teen sex. It should be noted that the author of the study, Dr. Susan Blake, refuses to discuss her findings, which raises a red flag for me.

Many, perhaps most, social studies have agendas. And I suspect this one does as well, but I can't prove it. However, whether a condom for kids program promotes sex or not doesn't really matter. The important point is that public schooling must be responsible both to the students and to the parents. We don't need pharmacies in the hallways.

Sex is a private matter and the school is a public enterprise. Keep sex policy academic.

And that's The Memo.

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Police in Germany are considering filing charges against the parents of a 9-day-old baby after the couple took the baby to a rock concert.  Authorities say the Australian rock band AC/DC is so loud, the baby might have been harmed.

Ridiculous? Not at all.

You don't take a newborn to a rock concert, and, if you don't know that, you should pay a price.

--You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 & 11p.m. ET on the Fox News Channel. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com