Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, December 21, 1993 TAG: 9312210173
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Joel TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He called for the creation of a task force to study the problem and make recommendations for dealing with it.
Bowers' proposal was immediately endorsed by both City Council and the School Board.
The teen-pregnancy issue arose at a joint meeting of council and the board to discuss ways for greater cooperation.
Bowers said he envisions the task force will be similar to those appointed by City Manager Bob Herbert in recent years to deal with the homeless, drug abuse and race relations.
"The problem of the homeless was one of the social ills of the 1980s, and we dealt with that. Teen pregnancy is one of the ills of the 1990s, and we need to deal with it," Bowers said.
The Roanoke Times & World-News has done a service to the community in focusing attention on the problem in a series of news stories, he said.
Bowers said he had discussed the task force proposal with Charles Day, School Board chairman.
Roanoke has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Virginia.
"In time, I think we can eliminate this stigma from the city," Day said. "We are working to solve that problem."
Herbert will appoint the task force, which is expected to have representation from a broad range of community agencies, churches, government and other groups.
"We need to get the community involved. This is not just a problem for the city and the schools," Herbert said.
"It is a community problem, and we need to be careful to make sure that the community is ready to address the problem," he said.
Without community support, Herbert said, it might be difficult to reach a consensus and recommendations on dealing with the problem.
The Rev. Nelson Harris, a School Board member, said he believes the ministers will support the appointment of a task force to study the issue.
After the meeting, Herbert said it was too early to determine the size of the task force and its representation.
The earlier task forces on the homeless, drug abuse and race relations made lengthy recommendations, most of which have been implemented.
Herbert said he hopes the task force can be appointed relatively quickly, but he would not estimate a timetable for the study.
by CNB