Anyone over 20 years old (giving some leeway here) can attest to the challenges they faced in high school — more difficult coursework, fitting in with certain social circles, and dealing with the emotional and physical changes of adolescence. Millions of teens are having sex in high school, adding to the pressure others already face. When is the right time to have sex? While that answer depends on the individual person, more schools are beginning to take steps to ensure these kids are protected, including one school in Hanover, N.H., which expects to offer free condoms later this year.

“Approximately 85 percent of the parents were in favor of providing contraception at the nurse’s office,” Ben Chaimberg, secretary of Hanover High School’s Governing Council, told WPTZ. This was only one of the findings of a special committee dedicated to researching contraceptive availability in schools. The committee polled parents of the school’s students, asking them about their kids’ backgrounds, grades, and perceived sexual activity. They were also asked to speak their minds on making contraception available in the nurse’s office and whether the nurse should have a conversation with the student.

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of all high school students (46.8 percent) had sex in 2013. Thirty-four percent of those teens had it during the three months prior to being surveyed, and of them, 41 percent didn’t use a condom. Considering the risk of STDs — almost half of the 19 million new STDs each year are contracted by people aged 15 to 24 — and pregnancy, making condoms available in schools is all the more important. And the teens seem to agree.

“They think it’s important from a health standpoint, and they think it would be useful for the student body to have a resource like this,” Chaimberg said, speaking generally about what he’s heard; the committee hasn’t yet polled the students.

For the motion to get approved, however, it would have to be signed off by the school’s principal, Justin Campbell, who isn’t quite sure schools are the proper place to hand condoms out. “For me, the missing pieces really are to know what best practice is, and to know how our community feels,” he told WPTZ. He also said condoms were already available through various organizations, and even suggested teens use the self-checkout machines at pharmacies.

Getting to those organizations or going to the pharmacy can still be embarrassing for teens, and studies have found condom availability in schools, among other places teens might frequent (laundromats, grocery stores, and barber shops, for example), might be easier and more effective in getting teens to use them. One meta-analysis of 21 studies looking at condom distribution programs in the U.S. between 1998 and 2007 found these programs were able to increase condom use; people both picked up condoms and had them on hand more often; they were more likely to delay having sex; and there were fewer incidences of STDs. Interventions like the one being proposed in New Hampshire, in which giving out condoms was combined with a conversation with the school nurse, were also found to be the most effective.

In the real world, these programs have been implemented in cities like New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. In New York City, all high schools are required to have Health Resource Rooms offering free condoms, health information, and health referrals. Each school must also have at least one trained man and woman available to speak with the teens. Meanwhile, in 2012, 22 Philadelphia high schools installed free condom dispensers, a step that’s likely spread to more schools by now.

Speaking to WPTZ, Kelsey Smith, moderator of Hanover High School’s Governing Council said their main goal is to provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for students. “I think that’s all this motion is trying to accomplish, at least in my eyes, is to provide a safe means for students who do engage in sexual activity to do so.”