"'And if you do it across the board it's fair for everybody,' added his
wife, Laurie."
obcrypto: "And if you have key escrow across the board it's fair for
everybody."
I wonder why we even bother trying to educate the masses on the uses of
strong crypto, when they're so willing to be sheared....across the board
so it's fair, of course.
*sigh*
The "parental consent" wording is especially sickening.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
[snip]
Father appeals son's punishment for refusing mandatory drug tests
AP Graphic TEXAS LOCKNEY
By PAM EASTON
Associated Press Writer
LOCKNEY, Texas (AP) - A West Texas father launched an appeal Friday
challenging the suspension of his 12-year-old son who refused to take a
mandatory drug test the school district required of all students as part
of a new policy.
The school district has decided to punish Brady Tannahill, the only
student to refuse the test, as if he had tested positive. He now faces a
21-day suspension from extracurricular activities, at least three days'
in-school suspension and three sessions of substance abuse counseling.
The sixth-grader also could 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 mandatory testing of the district's teachers and 399 of its students
in grades 6 through 12 was completed Thursday.
Larry Tannahill met with his son's junior high principal Friday and
planned to talk later in the day with the district superintendent.
``That is basically the startup of the appeal,'' said Tannahill. '' ...
That will give Brady another 10 days in school just like nothing happened
and then we'll go to the school board.''
The school board approved the drug policy last year, which requires a
signed parental consent form allowing the drug tests.
``Parental consent for a student to submit to biological testing is
required as a condition ... to be in good standing as a student at Lockney
ISD and to be able to participate in activities,'' the policy reads. ``Any
refusal by the student and/or parent, to sign the consent form will be
treated as a positive test.''
Pretty much every one in the town of 2,243 supports 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. ... If the school
determines this is what we think we need to do to provide an optimum
education, then that is what we need to do.''
The first discussions of a policy began in 1997 after 13 people in Lockney
were indicted for distributing and using cocaine and marijuana. Residents
indicated during a number of community meetings they supported drug
testing of all students, not just those involved in extracurricular
activities. Bobby Hall, a business professor at Wayland Baptist University
who has a daughter in the Lockney district, said, ``I, for one, would like
to know if my children were involved in drugs because it gives you a
chance for intervention.''
``And if you do it across the board it's fair for everybody,'' added his
wife, Laurie.
Tannahill said the policy squelches his parental rights and potentially
could deny his son access to a public education. On a fourth offense, the
policy calls for the suspension of a student from participation in all
activities for the remainder of his junior high or high school career,
removal to an Alternative Education Placement school for a minimum of 30
days, 12 sessions of substance abuse counseling and disqualification from
all honors and offices.
``My son is an A and B student,'' Tannahill said, standing outside the
rural Lutheran church he attends, amid miles of farm land. ``He's never
been in trouble and right now they are saying he's guilty.
``I know everybody is wanting the best for their children and I want the
best for mine. But I also feel like we are being violated and dictated to.
I've had a gut full of it and I'm going to make a stand.''
Lockney, about an hour's drive northeast of Lubbock, is the second school
in the area to implement mandatory testing.
Graham Boyd, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's
national drug policy project, said he is 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, where state Education Agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson
said state officials have no jurisdiction over local drug testing
policies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The road to tyranny, we must remember,
begins with the destruction of the truth."
-- President William Jefferson Clinton,
from an October 15, 1997, speech at the
University of Connecticut.
