Mar 13, 2009 6:50 pm US/Eastern
NYC Middle Schoolers Accidentally Given Condoms
Goodie Bags From Health Fair Came Mistakenly Came With Condoms, Instructions On How To Use Them
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Students at a Chelsea middle school were alarmed by an embarrassing surprise when they mistakenly received condoms at a school health fair. (File)
AP
Students at a Chelsea middle school were alarmed by an embarrassing surprise when they mistakenly received condoms at a school health fair.
Students at Clinton Middle School said they where shocked when several classmates found condoms Thursday in their goodie bags given out at a school health fair.
"I heard like yelling in the halls, like saying that they got condoms in their goodie bags. It was like very weird for me I didn't understand," said seventh grade student Chloe Malave.
The Ryan Community Health Center gave out the bags as part of an HIV/AIDS awareness program and apologized for the mistake in a statement to CBS 2 HD: "This was an unfortunate error, and we are taking steps with our staff to ensure it does not happen again."
The condoms apparently came complete with a guide explaining how to use them, according to students.
"I saw some people that got condoms and they also gave little booklets on how to put them on which I thought was really weird," said seventh grader Lena Abraham.
A spokesman for the Ryan Center said it prepared about 250 goodie bags with key chains and pamphlets, and somehow, condoms were mistakenly included in about 25 of those bags.
The Department of Education told CBS 2 HD that the error violates their policy. The principal said she will investigate, and in the future review all material the Ryan Center wants to distribute to the students in the school.
April Thiam and all the other Clinton parents received an e-mail from the school as soon as the condoms were discovered. Thiam read a portion of the letter to CBS 2 HD: "This was done without our knowledge or approval. We are sorry for this unfortunate incident."
The e-mail led to an awkward conversation with her 13-year-old son.
"I said, 'Did you receive a condom?' And he said 'No, I got a lollipop,' so it was like oh, OK," adding she understood it was a mistake, but was not happy she was forced to ask her son about condoms at such a young age.
"We haven't actually had any conversations about the use of condoms because in our house I teach abstinence," she said.
Every year, the Ryan Center puts on about 20 health fairs for middle and high school students throughout the city, and to their knowledge this is the first time this has ever happened.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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