Pubdate: Sun, 10 Feb 2002
Source: Hendersonville Times-News (NC)
Copyright: 2002 Hendersonville Newspaper Corporation
Contact:  http://www.hendersonvillenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/793
Author: K.A. McCoy
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

SEARCHES BY DOGS A BIT OF OVERKILL

To The Editor:

My son came home Jan. 30 and told me the drug dogs were in school that day.

I asked him if this was the first time and he said no, they do this every 
month or so. I was appalled. This is middle school! One minute we teach our 
children about their civil rights and then in the next minute show them 
that those rights don't mean crap. Yes, drugs in school are a problem, but 
they're not new. There were plenty of drugs in school when I was there 
(30-plus years ago).

Are we going in the right direction? When my child can be searched without 
legal, or better yet, parental supervision, we're headed for trouble. A 
menstruating girl can't take a Midol or a student take an aspirin for a 
simple headache without fear of suspension. Any prescribed medication has 
to be dispensed from the office. Heck, children get detention now for a burp.

Something's wrong with this picture. I am not condoning drug use by any 
means, but to use my father's favorite phrase, "There's a difference 
between scratching your butt and tearing it all to pieces."

Well, guess what, friends and neighbors? Hitler even knew to go to the 
children first. Are we slowly becoming a police state and silently 
convincing our children this is OK?

Next it will be you and I, and by then it will be too late because our kids 
will be in charge. When are we, as parents, going to start taking 
responsibility for teaching our children about life and quit expecting 
someone else to do it for us? Leave scholastics to the schools. Everything 
else should be taken care of at home!

Don't the powers that be have enough control already?

K.A. McCOY, Horse Shoe
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager