While it was definitely unexpected timing, the unanimous decision made by the North Kitsap School Board April 10 to approve a health clinic at Spectrum was coming down the tracks anyway. The board was definitely leaning in that direction well before Thursday night — there’s no denying that fact.

Sure there will be plenty of griping about this next week.

Folks will complain that the board pulled a fast one on the public and waited until nobody was looking to approve the clinic. The fact is that evidence for and against the proposal has been reviewed over and over since last December.

The fact is that the service isn’t a “sex clinic” as opponents have labeled it. It isn’t being created to drive a wedge between parents and their teens. It isn’t there to promote back alley abortions or promiscuous sex.

It is there to give the students of North Kitsap improved access to everything from mental health counseling and basic health to drug and alcohol prevention and education.

Dr. Scott Lindquist, director of the Kitsap County Health District thinks it’s a great idea and so do we. Now more than ever, students and children need this type of assistance and guidance.

Don’t believe us? Consider the fact that we have lost two young men to suicide this year and the fact that an informational meeting concerning the problem is being held next Monday at Christ Memorial Church. Isn’t this evidence enough that our youth need whatever helping hands we can lend them?

We applaud the school board’s decision and know that they have nothing but the students’ best interests in mind. That’s what they’re elected for, right?

Even so, the decision will likely cause quite a stir in the community. Folks will express their displeasure and claim that the board “didn’t give the issue enough time” or “didn’t allow enough comments.”

We respectfully disagree with these folks and feel that the district is definitely moving in the right direction. Being proactive is always better than being reactive.