65-1,158. Community-based teenage pregnancy reduction program; behavioral and educational objectives; grants, proposals and requirements, competitive awards and administration; duties of secretary; receipt of federal and other grants; rules and regulations. (a) The secretary of health and environment shall establish a comprehensive community-based teenage pregnancy reduction program with the goal of reducing the rate of pregnancies among minors in urban and rural communities through the development of locally controlled community-based educational interventions to accomplish certain behavioral and educational objectives. The behavioral objectives of the program shall include delaying the onset of sexual activity and promotion of the value of sexual abstinence among minor females and males. The educational objectives of the program shall include training as many community members as possible to be able to assist minor females and males, who are 10 through 17 years of age, in: (1) Recognizing the value and importance of postponing sexual intercourse; (2) developing knowledge and attitudes which promote comfort in choosing not to participate in sexual intercourse; (3) preventing pregnancy by other means when the program has been unable to assist minor females and males in postponing or suspending sexual intercourse, including a description of the risks and benefits of different methods of contraception; (4) recognizing the personal, parental, familial, religious, legal, social and health consequences of irresponsible sexual decisions; (5) developing assertiveness skills to resist undue sexual pressure from peers and society; (6) improving self-concept and sense of worth and developing responsible behavior based on their family values; and (7) fostering communication within the family as well as an appreciation of the supportive role families can play in the life of each individual.

(b) Subject to the provisions of appropriation acts, the secretary of health and environment may award grants on a competitive basis to local public and private community groups and agencies, including but not limited to, counties, cities and other local governments, schools, colleges, universities, youth groups, 4-H clubs, local public health departments and local charitable, civic, religious, educational and other not-for-profit organizations, to provide locally controlled community-based educational interventions to accomplish the objectives of the program in accordance with this section. Each grant shall be for a three-year period, subject to available appropriations and successful annual reviews. In the initial year of the program, not more than three grant proposals shall be awarded, which shall be selected from among grant proposals from both urban and rural community locations.

(c) The secretary of health and environment shall adopt grant requirements in accordance with this section. Proposals for grants under this program shall include provisions for: (1) A community advisory group which shall include parents, school personnel, members of minority population groups, members of the clergy, religious laypersons, public health agency personnel, members of civic groups, public officials, members of health care provider professional groups, representatives of news media agencies and teenagers trained as peer educators; (2) a comprehensive media campaign which targets minors and their families; (3) a strong parent, daughter and son education program with emphasis on communication between parents, daughters and sons; (4) an outcome evaluation component provided from grant funds, which shall include a description and projection of the number of minors that the program will eventually serve and which shall include evaluation protocols prescribing criteria to measure intervention effectiveness, in terms of reductions in the pregnancy rates for the community, and a mechanism to measure the processes of the interventions; (5) a 30% matching requirement from the community which may be satisfied on a cash or in-kind basis from private or public sources, including resources received under the department of education and program for at risk pupil assistance; (6) a three-year commitment to the program; (7) letters of commitment to continue the program after grant funding ends; and (8) the methods proposed for (A) integrating community values, morals and standards into the education message, (B) recruiting, selecting and training the educator participants, (C) recruiting, selecting and training the community member participants, and (D) recruiting, selecting and training peer educators, if applicable to the proposal. Each grant proposal shall illustrate the community need for this program and shall include the annual pregnancy rate for the community for each of the previous five years, including but not limited to the rate for females who are 10 through 17 years of age.

(d) The secretary of health and environment shall administer the community-based teenage pregnancy reduction program established under this section and shall advise and consult with the children and youth advisory committee established by K.S.A. 38-1401 and amendments thereto in establishing and administering the program, including the process of awarding and evaluating grants. The secretary of health and environment is hereby authorized to apply for and receive grants from federal agencies or from any other public or private sources for the purposes of the community-based teenage pregnancy reduction program established under this section.

(e) The secretary of health and environment may adopt rules and regulations for the administration of the program established under this section.

History: L. 1991, ch. 109, § 1; July 1.