Elite New York City Girls’ School Draws Criticism for Planned Parenthood Lecture to Students

The elite Manhattan Nightingale-Bamford School for girls is drawing criticism on social me
Ajay Suresh/Wikipedia Commons
Dr. Susan Berry

The elite Manhattan Nightingale-Bamford School for girls is drawing criticism on social media for inviting a Planned Parenthood representative to speak to students Monday as part of the school’s Health and Wellness Day.

“Nightingale has decided it’s their role to introduce your girls to Planned Parenthood,” Instagram account @nycprivateschoolwatch noted in a caption for a photo of the Planned Parenthood event. “Wow, they aren’t just ‘co-parenting’ with you anymore they are full on taking over.”

“However, you can’t complain – did you see how the private school contracts changed so drastically last year?” the comment continued. “Any mention of disagreement and you are OUT!”

Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion provider and second largest provider of transgender hormones in the United States.

Its presentation appeared to be part of Nightingale’s plan to have their students “take control of their physical, emotional and social selves,” DailyMail.com reported.

Information about whether parental consent was required to attend the Planned Parenthood lecture, as well as the ages of the girls who were to attend, was unclear, the news report added.

Some of the other reactions on Instagram, as reported by DailyMail.com, included:

  • User @mrswyman: “Very disturbing. Sad for my old school. No longer giving my annual donation.”
  • User @gogo_the_great: “Sick. Not their place.”
  • User @crackerjimdandy: “In OUR family, we do out [our] OWN abortion advising and are careful that our fetuses don’t end up in your Gatorade or vaxx (since Planned Unparenthood gets the profits)! Private schools now low rent daycare! Thanks NYS Regents!”

DailyMail.com reported this positive reaction:

  • User @mtettamanzi: “What a wonderful initiative.”

WFXL News also reported these reactions:

  • User @bellagracebrady: “Oh no. A high school is teaching their students sex Ed. What a crazy and new concept.”
  • User @kimmmberlyannnyc: “Super proud of Nightingale for leading the way in educating the next generation about women’s reproductive rights. Well done!”
  • User @marasaf729: “Looks like it’s pretty well attended voluntary sign up. Information = power. Why would any parent want their child (especially daughter) to not have optional education about safe sex and reproductive health?? Should be required!!”

Monica Cline, a former Planned Parenthood sex-ed instructor who became founder and director of It Takes A Family, said in a comment to Breitbart News in June regarding another venue for girls that had invited Planned Parenthood that parents should be concerned about the abortion business having greater access to their children:

Planned Parenthood is uniquely skilled at getting the attention of future clients and attempting to step into parental roles, especially for young women. Parents need to be aware of these tactics and not only closely watch and vet what their kids are watching and who they are listening to, but step up and have those conversations with their kids about self-image, confidence, and intimacy. Because really, if parents don’t do their jobs, Planned Parenthood is happy to take over – and that is terrifying.

On her website, Cline states:

Planned Parenthood trained me to educate youth about safer sex practices, and invited me to teach at their Sex Education Conferences for adolescents. After 10 years of working in this field, I walked away when I realized the damage their programs are doing. Today, I boldly expose the truth behind comprehensive sex education and the harm it causes our children.

Nightingale introduces itself on its website as being “inclusive” and “committed to a more equitable community where all students are celebrated and valued.”

Additionally, the school says it fosters a “supportive, anti-racist community where all students are celebrated and respected.”

“We are unwavering in our commitment to co-creating a more inclusive and equitable second century,” Nightingale states.

The school’s website said about its Health and Wellness Day in 2021:

Prior to the day, students filled out a survey about which topics they would like to see taught and then were able to choose their schedule. Students on the Health and Wellness Board agreed that this personalized approach definitely promotes a higher level of engagement from students and inherently promotes active learning.

“We look forward to using community input in order to design a day of diverse programming that supports student well-being,” said Robyn Jaffe, director of health and wellness, who added:

We typically bring in a range of speakers from the NYC area, but this year’s virtual format allowed us to invite speakers from across the country! This day signals the importance of giving attention to multiple dimensions of health, and provides students with the information and skills necessary to adopt healthy attitudes and behaviors related to personal wellness.”

Students apparently have been informed they may “opt in” to the Health and Wellness Day workshops.

Tuition at the exclusive Upper East Side school for girls in grades K-12 is $56,750 annually.

According to DailyMail.com, among Nightingale’s celebrity alumnae are political consultant Mandy Grunwald, fashion designer Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, author Cecily von Ziegesar, who was moved to write her Gossip Girl series based on her experiences at the school, and Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of musician Billy Joel and model Christie Brinkley.

The New York Post reported the school’s headmaster, Paul A. Burke, 48, had the second-largest overall salary of New York City headteachers in 2019, with a salary of $918,502, in addition to other compensation, such as housing, of $219,343.

Breitbart News reached out to Nightingale for comment about the nature of the Planned Parenthood presentation and is awaiting the school’s response.

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