# Before we can enroll your child in public school we need to know if they were delivered vaginally **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 7, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612 "2011-06-07T08:33:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/1 "2011-06-07T08:33:31Z")
MY goodness [Parents outraged after school application asks: ‘Was your child delivered by C-section?’](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394895/None-business-parents-outraged-school-district-application-asks-child-delivered-C-section.html#ixzz1OZqXmCMM) > [@](#): > > School chiefs in California have come under fire for asking intimate questions about how its children were delivered during birth. > Parents hoping to enrol their children in the Dry Creek School District have to complete an application form that asks if their child was delivered naturally or by caesarean section. > > Those mothers who tick the ‘C-section’ option are then asked to explain why the procedure was performed. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/2 "2011-06-07T10:25:13Z")
I’m somewhat torn between being disgusted and baffled here. Obviously it isn’t the school’s business to ask that, but I’m at a loss as to why they would care and apparently they aren’t answering. What answer are they expecting; “I couldn’t deliver my son Damien vaginally because of the horns and tentacles”? ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/3 "2011-06-07T10:39:22Z")
The proper response: **MYOFB!** ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/4 "2011-06-07T10:46:34Z")
See, now this is the problem with America’s schools these days… I’m kidding. That is one weird district and far from the norm. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/5 "2011-06-07T11:43:54Z")
Doing a little Googling, I find that the school removed that question: > **[School District Removes Birth Questions After Parental Concerns](https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/school-district-removes-birth-questions-after-parental-concerns/)** > > The Dry Creek School District admission application will no longer pose questions to parents about how their children were born. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/6 "2011-06-07T12:56:09Z")
Oh, sure, they wanted to be sure they could be prepared in case the child had any special needs… …perhaps so they could then say it’s mom’s fault and we’re not responsible? Yeah, I’m in a cynical mood today… ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/7 "2011-06-07T13:21:52Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m somewhat torn between being disgusted and baffled here. Obviously it isn’t the school’s business to ask that, but I’m at a loss as to why they would care and apparently they aren’t answering. What answer are they expecting; “I couldn’t deliver my son Damien vaginally because of the horns and tentacles”? I’m with you on this one, but leaning a lot more towards baffled. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/8 "2011-06-07T13:36:32Z")
I’m going to guess that someone believes that there is a connection between c-sections and development issues and decided to conduct their own little survey. I don’t know why I’m amused that the name of the school district is Dry Creek. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/9 "2011-06-07T13:41:04Z")
Heck, I don’t think it’s even a school’s business whether a child is biologically related to a parent at all, let alone any of the mechanical details. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/10 "2011-06-07T14:33:22Z")
**Was your child conceived with medical aid** (in-vitro, fertility enhancements, etc.)? Yes - the procedure was: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ No - we had sex approximately \_\_\_ times (with \_\_ orgasms [including \_\_ faked ones]) \*\*Did you breastfeed your child? \*\* Yes, for the first \_\_\_ months No, because: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ \*\*Six months after delivery, how much weight did you gain from your pre-pregnancy period? \*\* More than 10 pounds 5-10 pounds 0-5 pounds I have actually lost weight ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/11 "2011-06-07T14:38:44Z")
Wild speculation: Is it possible that some parents might schedule a C-section to occur before some annual cut-off date for school applications, and the school is trying to determine if they’re gaming the system? (Not that that makes the school right, just speculating on what might have driven the decision.) Other than that, I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/12 "2011-06-07T14:38:58Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Doing a little Googling, I find that the school removed that question: It would be astonishing if they _didn’t_ remove it - but this doesn’t answer the $64 question: why the hell was it there in the first place??? ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/13 "2011-06-07T15:02:41Z")
Since the questionnaire also asked about development, I’d suspect they were trying to figure out if an _emergency_ C-Section was performed. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/14 "2011-06-07T15:02:48Z")
Maybe they figure the mother didn’t have to have a C-section but wanted one 'cause it was convenient for her. Therefore if she can’t be bothered with a baby interrupting her schedule, she won’t have time for it otherwise and will dump the kid’s problem on the school. OK it’s a theory at least 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/15 "2011-06-07T15:21:05Z")
It’s a common question on developmental and medical forms, for example, the Early Intervention programs in many states which will provide physical, occupational and speech therapy for kids who need it. In such circumstances, questions about pregnancy and birth complications really can be relevant to the care needed. My suspicion is this was cut-n-pasted from such a source, and no one thought about it too much until parents complained. My own cynicism leads me to suspect laziness and thoughtlessness, rather than malice, especially since it’s been removed since it hit the papers. ---
**Author:** ![Cryptic\_C62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cryptic\_C62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cryptic_C62)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/16 "2011-06-07T15:22:14Z")
The people who wrote the question must assume that there is some correlation between c-section births and some undesirable thing, and I suppose the only possibilities for that undesirable thing are developmental defects or communicable diseases, though I have no idea if either of these correlations are plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/17 "2011-06-07T15:34:17Z")
My guess is this was the work of one school administrator who had a pseudo-scientific hobbyhorse. A hundred years ago, it would have been a question about phrenology. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/18 "2011-06-07T15:36:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m somewhat torn between being disgusted and baffled here. Obviously it isn’t the school’s business to ask that, but I’m at a loss as to why they would care and apparently they aren’t answering. What answer are they expecting; “I couldn’t deliver my son Damien vaginally because of the horns and tentacles”? if that were the case, I can see the school wanting to know in advance so they can get an old priest and a young priest on staff. Maybe that happens more then we realize in thier district? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/19 "2011-06-07T15:39:32Z")
> [@Cryptic\_C62](#): > > The people who wrote the question must assume that there is some correlation between c-section births and some undesirable thing, and I suppose the only possibilities for that undesirable thing are developmental defects or communicable diseases, though I have no idea if either of these correlations are plausible. Not communicable diseases, no. Developmental delays, it depends on the reason for the c-section (hence the “why?”) If I was filling it out, for example, I’d check yes and then write in, “emergency c-section @ 23 weeks d/t placental infection.” This would alert people who know stuff that she was extremely premature, low birth weight (not lower than a 23 week fetus should be, but low birth weight by definition) and probably on oxygen for many weeks. This means she’s at higher risk than most kids for vision problems, hearing problems, respiratory infections and asthma, behavioral issues and learning disabilities. It also means that she’s about 4 months “younger” than her birthdate would lead you to believe. (I had to explain this to her this week, as she got very upset that she’s the only one in her class not to have a loose tooth yet. It’s not something we’re going to worry about until she’s a little older than average because she was born so early.) So yes, there are lots of interesting pieces of information that should cause a teacher and school nurse and social worker to be interested in her, based simply on the knowledge that she was a c-section with some details of why. I appreciate everyone keeping a little closer eye on her than the general population, simply because her risk factors are higher. If it was “c-section; labor failed to progress” or “c-section; repeat” or “c-section; my OB needed a new car” then it’s not very useful information, and I wouldn’t, as a nurse or if I was a teacher, worry about it or even remember it. I have to say, a lot of the outrage seems steeped in guilt. A lot of people are assuming that if they had a c-section, the school wouldn’t want their child as a student or something. That seems to come from a place of shame about their having a c-section in the first place. I’m not happy I had a c-section; it wasn’t what I wanted, but I’m not ashamed of it. I can see how the information would be useful to her educators, and our daughter’s birth story is one that I share with teachers as early as possible, so they know what to expect and keep an eye out for, even though it’s not on our school forms. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612/20 "2011-06-07T16:07:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I have to say, a lot of the outrage seems steeped in guilt. A lot of people are assuming that if they had a c-section, the school wouldn’t want their child as a student or something. That seems to come from a place of shame about their having a c-section in the first place. The outrage about people and entities asking questions about one’s reproductive choices who have no business doing so is perfectly reasonable and justified. You are projecting all over the place here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-we-can-enroll-your-child-in-public-school-we-need-to-know-if-they-were-delivered-vaginally/584612.md?page=2)