THE folks in Hempstead, Texas, know what it’s like to be outmatched. After all, the high-school football team has just completed its season with an 0—10 record. And, now, the entire town has been humiliated, not in a gridiron battle, but in a fight with big government over who controls local schools.
The problem began when cheerleaders at Hempstead High started engaging in other extracurricular activities besides cheerleading. Earlier this year, four of the 16 girls admitted to being pregnant. In September, the four girls were dismissed from the squad after the school board approved a policy forbidding pregnant students to hold elective office. The board expressed concerns about health risks to the girls, and pointed out that unwed parents were not exactly good models for other students.
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