Sign of the times?

World Net Daily reports that 13% of the female students at Timken High School in Ohio are pregnant. That's roughly 1 in 7. Here's principal Kim redmond:

"This has gotten to horrible proportions," said Redmond. "I wish I knew the answer to why it's happening."

Well, Rambix has a rough idea how it's happening. What we really need to know is why it's happening.

According to the Canton Health Department, through July, 104 of 586 babies born to Canton residents in the county's two largest hospitals had mothers between 11 and 19, the local paper reported.

Wrote columnist Rick Senften:

"McKinley High's numbers aren't rosy, either, and its culture is just as ripe for trouble. I recall a day there last spring, while waiting for an English class to let out, that a roomful of kids lauded a boy, no more than 16 or 17, for having become a 'dad' the night before. A paper on the kid's desk suggested he might struggle to spell that word."

That explains part of it. And what are they doing about it?

The principal says her school will initiate a three-pronged program addressing pregnancy, prevention and parenting this year.

That's a good start, but where are the parents of the child of the children?

Out of curiosity, Rambix looked into the census data for Canton, OH, where the school is located. Only 3 out of 4 in Canton have graduated high school, slightly more than half own their own homes, and the area is somewhat racially mixed, with approximately 75% whites and 21% blacks. More details are here.