Is the North Kitsap School District on the verge of realizing its master plan to obliterate any form of communication between students and their parents?

Can you think of a more absurd question?

Nonetheless, opponents of the proposed Spectrum health clinic would have us all believe it to be a valid one.

The fact is that this clinic, if supported by the NKSD board would provide much-needed basic health care, health education, sports physicals and mental health services. Reproductive health services, birth control information, pregnancy testing, STD treatment and HIV/AIDS testing, which students can now get elsewhere, would also be offered.

Opponents claim this proposal — which is being supported by Dr. Scott Lindquist, director of the Kitsap County Health District and a pediatrician to boot — is for nothing more than a sex clinic.

Is this 1950?

Are the boys being taken to one room and the girls being taken to another to watch the “shameful” documentaries about reproduction? Or are such things no longer discussed in our education system or by students?

Guess again.

Should we make it more difficult for one student to get mental health assistance just because a verbal segment of the community feels that another teen might not want to tell her parents about an STD? It wouldn’t make sense.

Here’s a few questions for parents:

If you’re talking to your kids about sex, drug abuse, depression and the like already — why would they all of the sudden decide not to talk to you about such issues if they had a problem?

Of course, if you’re not having such discussions with your kids, just the opposite will likely hold true.

The clinic isn’t about driving a wedge between parents and their kids. It isn’t trying to replace communication by offering confidentiality that patients the world over receive from their doctors.

It’s about better health.

Whether it’s mental, physical or sexual.

By supporting a clinic at Spectrum that offers such services, the district wouldn’t be encouraging promiscuous kids. They would be, however, encouraging healthy kids.

What’s wrong with that?

We feel the North Kitsap School District wouldn’t be overshadowing any parent-student relationships nor would they be on “shaking moral ground” by supporting the clinic.

When did the health of students become a moral issue anyway?

Deciding to support such services shouldn’t be a tough call for the NKSD board — but given the climate of North Kitsap it will definitely be a controversial one.