An Oregon school district has decided to provide condoms to students from sixth grade through high school.

The Gervais district's school board voted unanimously to provide the condoms. Students in the district, which is near Salem, Oregon, must request the items from a counselor, teacher or school administrator.

The Los Angeles Times reported that a school survey spurred the plan. The survey found that 42 percent of Gervais's students were sexually active.

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Of those, 30 percent of the kids reported using condoms "never" or "sometimes."

Parents are split over the new rule. "I really haven't had time to process it," Alyson Farrens told KGW. "Somebody talking to my children and giving them a condom, at that age, I don't know."

Debbie Roberts told the station she had a different view. "I think it’s better to be protected than get pregnant, so I think it’s a really good thing,” she said.

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Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC