UK - Children quizzed at school about private lives

[solartrinity]

I went into school yesterday to take my son and was asked to go into the head teachers office. Apparently they have a van there this week where they are educating (yeah! right) the kids about the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol. Notice they leave the alcohol part seperate from the drugs! grr Anyway, I was told that they had been discussing with my son who is 7 about what he knew about drugs and alcohol and did his mummy or daddy ever drink or roll any funny cigarrettes etc. I was so angry what the hell is going on?!
Isnt it against my human rights and the law for the school to take my child aside and be asking him such questions. I was then asked what the situation was like at home and why I wasnt working or my partner and did we need social services to help in any way. I was gobsmacked. Luckilly I have kept my son away from any partying we do ie if we decide to have a few beers then he is always at his nannas the head master was asking if I was a heavy drinker. I told him i had been n the past but if he would like to talk to my social worker, health visotor and my doctor they would gladly put him in the picture that I am a good parent to my children and there are no issues for him to be concerned about as I have a close relationship with the authorities especially as my son has ADHD and i suffer mental health myself. I think it is discusting the fact that they sit your kids down asking about whether mummy or daddy works or smokes whacky baccy.

I will be following this up
to see if it really right that they can do that. Very annoying. If i had a problem I would be the first one trying to dosomething aboutit and protect my kids. Be interested in anyones views.

Emma
xxxxxx

please
rate my posts

[Paracelsus]

Since your son is likely too young to understand complex matters such as drug use, I'd resort to keeping anything suspicious secret from him. I know it's sad, but it's the best way to go with a first-grader until he grows up a bit more.

[Evil GIR]

Well my little brother use to go to school and I used to get him to fuck with the teacher for his drug education. I used to get him to ask abot dmt and what dose 5-ho-det do.
The teachers didnt have a cllue and where asking where did he get all his drug info from. He was only a little older about 11, but i educated him told him about safe drug use and he was fine with it, he knew it was illigal so he just fucked wth em, every way he could.

[FuBai]

Getting children to pass on testimony against their parents when they don't really understand the impact and ramifications is slightly worrying. I agree with Parcelus, hide all suspicious activity and don't start your own drug education (safety, harm reduction, reality etc) until the child is ready to understand it fully, as a parent you will be able to counter a lot of the early indoctrination simply because your child is more likley to trust you over a teacher.

[Pondlife]

In East Germany (before reunification) the teachers used to ask the children to draw the clock from the TV news. If they drew the one from West German TV, the parents would be interrogated.

[meep]

Scary stuff.

[thewomaninagreenhat]

Swim had this sort of issue before, when her children were younger. A police detective had been at their school asking them questions about "mommys new girlfriend" and things that went on in their house. It pissed swim off so bad that the school allowed this to happen that swim took her children out of that school and enrolled them in a different school. By the way, swims "new girlfriend" was her sister, who needed a place to stay, along with her 3 kids.

The new school that swims kids were enrolled in were just starting a week of testing, and swim was told to bring the kids in to start the following week instead, after the testing was completed. No problem, swim was happy that they would be in a different school, and spent the next couple of days buying new uniforms and supplies. Well, the detective that had talked to swims kids decided that only a guilty person would do such a thing, so swims kids were removed from swims home while an investigation was done. They counted each day that swims kids were not in school due to the testing as an unexcused absence, and determined that swims kids had missed too many days of school. They searched swims house to look for anything inappropriate, and found nothing more than half of an old broken pipe at the back of a drawer in swims bedroom. Swims kids have not spent the night at their own house ever since. Swims kids only get to visit their mom. It has been almost 9 years. And all because of a "new girlfriend", a week of missed school that they were told to not show up for by the school principal, and half of a marijuana pipe.

Swims kids are teenagers now, and have no idea that swim smokes pot. They know that after they moved away from home that swim got very depressed and got into drugs, but as far as they know, all of that was left in the past. All but the pot WAS left in the past. Swim wont let her kids know that she smokes pot until they are grown, even though swim doesnt think it is a bad thing.

Swim learned that you cant depend on anyone to be reasonable or to have any uncommon sense. You cant expect that things will be the way you think they will. Things CAN happen, and they DO happen, even though it seems insane that they would.

Swim is sorry that you went through that experience. Swim understands their concerns with kids in general, and thinks that it would be a good idea to talk to kids about things, IF they did it properly, but they dont. They assume that everyone is guilty, and will look very hard to find something to prove that. They work too hard to break families that dont need to be broken, and not hard enough for the ones that need help. Help...not broken, in most cases.

[bjarkii]

That is absolutely fucking sickening, if i were you, i'd arrange a very angry meeting with the headmaster immediately

[Bikelbees]

Its amazing how many police are around schools nowadays, the deputy head of one high school described one officer as effectively a member of staff. Years ago a boy would virtually have to have been shot (not that uncommon where they have a military training corps) to get the police involved, now they are there doing "positive community work" etc all the time. I' not sure about what is right to tell kids about drugs, clearly there needs to be an antidote to govt propaganda such as the appalling "Ask Frank" website which basically is such bullshit it invites being disregarded entirely by kids (just say "no" hardly engages with the debate either), so perhaps its a good idea to teach some truth to kids themselves so that they are savvy to this insidious state examination and know their stuff.

[rxbandit]

Originally Posted by Bikelbees

Its amazing how many police are around schools nowadays, the deputy head of one high school described one officer as effectively a member of staff. Years ago a boy would virtually have to have been shot (not that uncommon where they have a military training corps) to get the police involved, now they are there doing "positive community work" etc all the time. I' not sure about what is right to tell kids about drugs, clearly there needs to be an antidote to govt propaganda such as the appalling "Ask Frank" website which basically is such bullshit it invites being disregarded entirely by kids (just say "no" hardly engages with the debate either), so perhaps its a good idea to teach some truth to kids themselves so that they are savvy to this insidious state examination and know their stuff.

In US high schools it is common place for a resident officer to be present every day of the school year. Usually the officer has his own little office and free reign over the school. I've heard of drug dogs being run through school hallways and lockers being searched that have locks without any notification of the party being investigated.

I suppose kids should not take drugs into school but the invasion of the police into children's lives is troubling.

[FuBai]

Originally Posted by rxbandit

In US high schools it is common place for a resident officer to be present every day of the school year. Usually the officer has his own little office and free reign over the school. I've heard of drug dogs being run through school hallways and lockers being searched that have locks without any notification of the party being investigated.

I suppose kids should not take drugs into school but the invasion of the police into children's lives is troubling.

What's far more troubling is the rhetoric that goes with it ("It's all for their own good"). Start thinking like that and you might as well just invade Poland.

[Milk man]

Originally Posted by rxbandit

In US high schools it is common place for a resident officer to be present every day of the school year. Usually the officer has his own little office and free reign over the school. I've heard of drug dogs being run through school hallways and lockers being searched that have locks without any notification of the party being investigated.

I suppose kids should not take drugs into school but the invasion of the police into children's lives is troubling.

This is an old post, but in U.S. high schools(mine at least), they do random searches. They even state they are doing a total random search. I was in class and they walked in, told everybody to take their hands out of their pockets and leave their stuff on the ground. They were told to leave and that drug dogs were going to smell everything. Nothing was found.


Also, I decided to take the bus one day. I guess the day before the bus smelled like weed and that someone told a kid he'd kill him if he got on the bus again.

Well they made the bus pull up behind the school. Then they made all girls go to class and all boys had to go into an empty classroom. They said they were going to search everyone and some kid blurted out what about our rights? One of the administrators said we don't have rights. I was about to burst. They found 3g of pot on one kid. And then some other kids hid their pieces in the trash when they walked in and were not caught.

[Coconut]

Originally Posted by Milk man

They said they were going to search everyone and some kid blurted out what about our rights? One of the administrators said we don't have rights.

That administrator is correct. Not very many people actually have rights these days. I'd wager that most of them are part of the Fortune 500.

A truly saddening state of affairs. Few things evoke an emotional response from me but the rage and disgust I would feel if I were subjected to that kind of fascist treatment would be immeasurable.

[Mint boi]

Those stories are insane. I can't believe they could just take someones kids cos they found a broken pipe. Can i ask op and woman in a green hat, was it that the police or school suspected drug use in your cases or were these little interrogations completely random? I'm glad to say I don't think things have gotten so bad here in Ireland yet.

[Felonious Skunk]

It used to be "Don't talk to strangers."

Now I tell my son "If a school administrator starts talking to you, ask a stranger for help."

[thewomaninagreenhat]

The police were at swims kids school to talk to them after her exhusband told his cousin, who is a cop, that he thought something "suspicious" was happening at swims house. Nevermind that swim had a restraining order against him because he was stalking her, and looking in her windows and things.

[D.U.M.B]

That's bullshit, how dare they ask your children some of the questions they asked.

[tip]

("It's all for their own good"). Start thinking like that and you might as well just invade Poland.

The US already is now invading countries for there own good and stealing there oil!!

Now have another bottle of whiskey to forget!!!

[Bikelbees]

Can we focus on the quizzing of children please as clearly Poland invaded Britain judging by the fact that Polish is the primary language in most of the hospitality industry workforce.

[Woodman]

HA,ha,ha!!!

It's the "Snitch on your parents" program!

Each participant receives a chrome whistle, a note pad, a pen, a pair of black leather shoes with brown socks, and a stylish brown shirt that will make him the envy of all the other kids in the neighborhood.

The only thing missing is the swastika.

[Bikelbees]

It is indeed puritanical brainwashing but its being portrayed as child protection policy.

[HorseBucket]

When I was 9 the teacher was asking us what we all wanted to be when we grew up and when she asked me I said "A drug dealer" as a joke and I got sent to the principle. My brother used to tell me all kinds of funny shit to say to the teachers.

[Panthers007]

People should send contact numbers for the ACLU to parents and publish same in the local media ANYWHERE this happens. And beyond. This is a direct violation of Constitutional Law. Period.

[ConcertaXL]

"Constitutional Law" is irrelevant given the case happened outside the USA however this is very, very dodgy. Tell your children that very bad things might happen if they start talking about mum and dad's drugs use or alcohol drinking. The system in the UK is absolutely disgusting since the Lord Laming "Child Protection" report about 6 years back. Especially within England, if a school is concerned about a child they can do a CAF (Common assessment framework) process which is highly intrusive and involves questions about all sorts of personal and family issues. The results are then shared among all the "professionals" working with the family, which will be numerous if you already have an ADD child. If you do not give all your personal details on request for a CAF they may assume you are abusing your children and fill in a CPR1 (Child Protection referral) which may lead to them being taken into care or adopted out. Just make sure your kid is very wary about discussing anything from their home life in school, at the doctor's, etc. and if they are on a controlled "upper" for ADHD (Ritalin, Concerta XL etc) make sure they dont let too many people know... these are theft targets.

[FuBai]

We know that children taken away from families do many many times worse academically and socially than those who stay with their families, so taking the children away from drug using parent/s is arguably doing them a much greater damage.