When addressing sexual health, stigma is one of the biggest barriers preventing students from getting the support they need. However, after the success of the SMUHSD’s partnership with the Aragon health office to distribute condoms, it’s clear that when students can access resources, they will use them. Following in the footsteps of the condom access program, the editors of the Aragon Outlook propose that Aragon should offer more sexual health resources, specifically comprehensive and free sexually transmitted disease testing services directly on campus.
In 2023, the San Mateo County Health System reported that SMC had 4,250 new STD cases. Infrastructure for testing is available, but not easily accessible to high schoolers who don’t feel comfortable discussing sexual health with their parents. To increase testing rates, resources need to be directly on campus.
Currently, if Aragon students want to get STD tested, they can schedule an appointment at the Planned Parenthood center in Downtown San Mateo, and get a pass to go as a “field trip” during school hours from the health office, which will not alert their parents. The services at Planned Parenthood are free only if students are insured, meaning they may have to ask parents for insurance information, which can discourage many students from getting tested. The primary alternative for students who do not know their insurance information or are uninsured is to pay up to $250 to get tested, which is prohibitively expensive.
One workaround is requesting insurance information from the health or wellness office, as they are on every student’s personal file. Or, students who can drive or find alternative means of transportation can visit the drop-in clinic near Hillsdale High School and numerous other local drop-in clinics throughout the county. Though a good and relatively cheaper option compared to Planned Parenthood, with most tests being around $25, the clinic has limited availability. It is only open 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, times many students have school or extracurriculars. Limiting testing windows unnecessarily decreases the likelihood of students reaching out for help, no matter their circumstances. And, the cost, though relatively low compared to other self-testing kits and Planned Parenthood, can still create another unnecessary barrier to access.
The simple fact that students would have to jump through so many hoops to get access to confidential care, a right made explicit in the California Supreme Court decision American Academy of Pediatrics v. Lungren is indicative of a need for reform. The California Department of Education states: “students have the right to obtain sensitive services, including reproductive health care, during school hours, and must be allowed to leave campus for the purpose of obtaining these services. In these instances, schools are not allowed to require parental consent or notification, and must mark the student’s absence as excused and allow the student to make up full credit for assignments or class time missed.”
The Outlook proposes three possible solutions to support students and offer STD testing. First, Aragon should partner with the Stanford Children’s Health Teen van. The mobile clinic offers regular physical and mental health exams, along with STD and pregnancy testing – all free of charge. The van stops at several Bay Area high schools and community colleges, including San Mateo, Hillsdale, and Capuchino High Schools, and they aim to provide barrier-free access to healthcare to “uninsured and underinsured youth, ages 12 to 25, in the San Francisco Bay Area”. However, despite staff and student interest, the van does not currently stop at Aragon.
Aragon should work with Stanford or another organization, possibly Planned Parenthood, to offer testing on campus. Either out of the Teen Health van or something similar to on-campus COVID-19 testing, holding testing directly on campus would break down barriers preventing students from accessing these resources.
Second, like handing out condoms from the health office, Aragon could offer STD testing kits. San Mateo County joined the TakeMeHome program in February of 2024, offering eligible residents free in-home test kits to “collect specimens, return them by mail and then see the test results in a secure portal.” While many students could enroll in the program on their own, some may not be comfortable mailing the kit to their homes, so picking them up at Aragon would allow them to keep testing private from their parents.
Lastly, the vast majority of students aren’t aware of any of these resources – from the confidential “field trips” to Planned Parenthood to the TakeMeHome program. Aragon has a responsibility to educate their students on the resources available to them, and should better publicize what is currently being offered. This could be in the form of something as small as posters in the health office or added content during grade-level presentations.
Sexual health services need to be made more accessible on Aragon campus to ensure the health and safety of its students, and on-campus access to STD testing services is the next logical step in this journey.
