cannabisnews.com: Father Fights School Suspension of Son





Father Fights School Suspension of Son
Posted by FoM on February 05, 2000 at 08:29:49 PT
for refusing drug test 
Source: StarNet
 A father launched an appeal yesterday challenging the suspension of his 12-year-old son for refusing to take a drug test required of every student in the school district. The Lockney district has decided to punish sixth-grader Brady Tannahill, the only student to refuse the test, as if he had tested positive. 
He faces a 21-day suspension from extracurricular activities, at least three days' suspension and substance abuse counseling. Brady could also be required to take a drug test every month for a year. Each time he refuses, it will be considered a repeat offense, and the punishment escalates. The school board approved the drug policy last year. The mandatory testing of the district's teachers and 399 students in grades six through 12 was completed Thursday. Larry Tannahill met with his son's junior high principal yesterday. ``That is basically the start up of the appeal,'' Tannahill said. ``That will give Brady another 10 days in school, just like nothing happened, and then we'll go to the school board.'' Graham Boyd, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union's national drug-policy project, said he was unaware of any other school district in the country that requires across-the-board testing. Boyd said cases challenging school drug testing for students in extracurricular activities have been filed in Indiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and in Texas. Most residents in this town of 2,240 people support the policy, Superintendent Raymond Lusk said. ``You either have a drug policy or you don't,'' Lusk said. ``Drugs are not just in the cities. They're in small-town America.'' The idea for a new tough anti-drug policy began in 1997, after 13 people in Lockney were indicted on charges of distributing and using cocaine and marijuana. Residents indicated at community meetings that they supported drug testing of all students, not just those involved in extracurricular activities. Tannahill, however, said the policy tramples his parental rights and could deny his son access to a public education. On a fourth offense, the policy calls for a student to be suspended from all school activities for the remainder of his or her career, removed to an alternative school for at least 30 days, given 12 sessions of substance abuse counseling and disqualifed from all honors. ``My son is an A and B student,'' Tannahill said. ``He's never been in trouble and right now they are saying he's guilty.'' Lockney, Texas (AP) AZStarnet.comPublished: February 5, 2000Related Articles:Fight Over Mandatory Drug Testshttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4583.shtmlCannabis News Drug Testing Archives:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/drug_testing.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by Wabo on February 06, 2000 at 09:56:03 PT
2000 Golden Hitler Awards
For circumnavigating the Bill of Rights and the "innocent until proven guilty" provisions of law, this year's Golden Hitler Award for BEST ACTOR in a Gestapo Role goes to Superintendent Raymond Lusk and the Lockney school district.
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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on February 05, 2000 at 13:58:58 PT
Sieg Heil, Ya'all
One thing I learned about Texans; they love history, particularly that of their own State. But this time they are forgetting entirely too much. History lesson time, again.According to some contemporary historians, the Nazi's couldn't have gotten away with what they did without the hearty help of the average German. When the Brown Shirts beat their Jewish neighbors, many cops turned a blind eye and became selectively deaf. The government, seeing it could get away with this much, turned the screw a bit more. When Jews had their property confiscated, and no one spoke up for them, another turn. And another. And another. I'm sure that the small town residents of Nazi Germany thought very little about the disappearances of their Jewish neighbors. They certainly gave their tacit approval of their neighbor's 'relocation' and actually gave the authorities a hand. They almost certainly knew about the camps where people went to in trainloads and never came out. And the smell from the chimneys there certainly wasn't pork roast. But they went along with it... because it was national policy, and all 'good Germans' went along with the policy, nicht wahr?The same kind of thing is going on with this kid and his parents against the DrugWar. People who speak out against 'policy' are being treated almost like the Jews and their neighbors of conscience were It is deemed by the powers that be that to speak out agaisnt the DrugWar is at best heresy, and at worst, treason. Fascism is being faced down, in a place where people used to go to live to get away from bureaucratic inroads on liberty and freedom.History repeats itself? You betcha! Let's hope we can learn from the not so distant past.
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