I agree with this.
Also if by school you also mean college I do think they should because all the students should be adults and able to choose for themselves.

Middle school? NO

High school? The machines and maybe handing one out in sex ed (not to freshmen)

Sadly, this is needed because many parents are not doing these duties!

too many parents AREN'T doing any parenting
i know mine didnt
and i know that the school didn't, either

I like your idea that maybe having vending machines might make kids consider their choice more carefully, as opposed to maybe not so much when they can just grab a free one. But, I think you are missing something in that in both situations the school is paying for the condoms. A school would have to use it's funds to pay for a vending machine to be installed, and then to pay for the condoms to stock said machine. I think you're point that the kids might think more before putting that quarter in though is still valid. But otherwise the only difference between a vending machine and a basket of free ones is that with the vending machine the school recoups some money.

This only matters though if it is important to you whether or not the school is using it's own funds. I suppose the condoms could also be donated by a company or something in either case.

I think you're post is very fair. I agree kids should be educated properly. Abstinence is a valid OPTION but parents need to be realistic and not just leave a sex talk at that.

They need to be educated properly on how their bodies work (like how a woman's cycle typically works and how sperm exist in pre ejaculation) but alongside that we need to make them comfortable asking questions and asking for condoms or other birth control.

Telling your child "they're out"-like I was- if they ever get pregnant doesn't help either. The risks of sex should be discussed (hurt feelings if the person get's dumped after, stds, unplanned pregnancy) but options for if an unplanned pregnancy does occur should be frankly spoken about too. I've never had one but there's no way I would have disclosed my changed state to my family if it had!

I'm not a fan of the idea of having condoms in schools-I just don't think it's the school's job to get directly involved in a student's sex life- but I DO get why those that say it's a good idea do so. I definitely want them to be safe but I think the school should encourage that by proper education and working with the parents too (like talking about sex education during PTA meetings). Even having counselors trained to talk about sexual things would be ok. I think it's fine too if they want to give them info on where they can obtain contraceptives and whether or not they have to have parental counselor (does it very by state?) but I think the rest should be left to the parents.

Some parents may not be doing their jobs, but unfortunately we don't get to pick our families. But the kids should definitely have access to good, truthful information through their school at least, if not other places.

YES!!! And I think that sex ed should be brought back!! And not the 30 min little blurb they get, but the full semester course we had when I was in school. Covering STDs, body functions, pregnancy, etc. This whole "abstinence" way of thinking is bullshiggity.

bold Young people in Middle and High school will have sex and having a child at a young age could could put a damper on a young person career. So yes, they should be available for everyone. Anoter good reason, boys can practice putting them on.

I agree that condoms should be available to young people... when I was young and inexperienced, condoms were nearly inaccessible to me. I finally found a place to buy them and the cost was a major portion of my limited high school student income. Indeed because of that, my GF and I engaged in unprotected anal sex more frequently than vaginal sex with a condom.

Yes, absolutely. Health education is important.

Free or at cost?