PORTLAND – The head of Maine’s Roman Catholic diocese is expressing shock at the Portland School Committee’s decision to make prescription contraceptives available to middle school students without parental permission. The Christian Civic League also announced plans Friday to ask the state to consider a criminal investigation into reports that five preteen girls at King Middle School have been sexually active.

Bishop Richard Malone said the school panel’s decision would lead inevitably to more sexual experimentation among younger children. It also sends a message that the government should replace parents in certain parts of a child’s life, even without the parents’ knowledge, he said.

“I join the number of parents who have expressed their outrage and disbelief at the decision which affects young girls aged 11 to 14 years old,” Malone said. “When contradictory messages are given to children from important authority figures such as parents and school officials, it can create more confusion and difficulty for children themselves in making this important life decision.”

The Portland School Committee this week voted 7-2 to allow King Middle School to become the first middle school in Maine to make a full range of contraception available, including birth control pills and patches.

No figures are available on how many middle schools provide such services nationally, but the practice is “very rare,” according to the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care.

King Middle School students need parental permission to gain access to the school’s health center, but treatment is confidential under state law, which allows the students to decide whether to inform their parents about the services they receive.

School officials have defended the program, saying it can prevent unwanted pregnancies. Birth control will be given out only after extensive counseling, and no prepubescent children will get it.

Portland’s three middle schools have had seven pregnancies in the last five years, officials said. A school nurse also revealed that five of the 134 students who visited King Middle School’s health center last year reported having sexual intercourse.

Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League, said Friday that a petition was being prepared to ask the state Attorney General’s Office to review the situation for potential criminal activity.

The league noted that sexual activity between adolescents is permitted under Maine law as long as both participants are 14 or older and the age difference is no more than five years.

In criticizing the policy, Heath also said, “All possible avenues on the local, state, and federal level are being explored to rectify the issue.”

Bishop Malone urged parents to make their opposition known to the school committee in hopes of having the decision reversed.

“Everything about the decision gives kids the wrong message,” Malone said.

There are about 193,000 Catholics in Maine, according to the diocese.