When a Fairfax County mother got an urgent call from school last month reporting that her teenage daughter was caught popping a pill at lunchtime, she did not panic. “It was probably her birth-control pill,” she thought. She was right. Her heart dropped that afternoon in the assistant principal’s office at Oakton High School when she and her daughter heard the mandatory punishment: A two-week suspension and recommendation for expulsion. “I realize my daughter broke a rule,” the mother said. But in an appeal to the school system, she reasoned, “the punishment does not fit the crime.”
For two decades, many schools have set zero-tolerance policies on drugs. That means no over-the-counter drugs, no prescription drugs, no pretend drugs in student lockers or pockets. When many teens have ready access to medicine cabinets filled with prescription medications such as Xanax and Vicodin, any capsule or tablet is suspect.
Still, some parents and civil rights advocates say enforcement has been overzealous. Stringent rules have ensnared not only drug dealers and abusers, but a host of sniffling and headachy students seeking quick medical relief. The Supreme Court will consider this month the case of a 13-year-old Arizona student who was strip-searched in 2003 by an administrator who suspected that she was carrying ibuprofen pills.
Fairfax School Board members have debated over time whether to allow students to carry Tylenol or other over-the-counter medicines without registering them with the school nurse. County policy permits cough drops to be carried on campus, for instance, but not shared. Arlington County policies permit high school students to carry over-the-counter pain relievers. A 2006 state law in Maryland overturned some local rules requiring a doctor’s note for children to use sunscreen at school.
Health advocates say that harsh penalties for students who take birth-control pills at school conflicts with a campaign schools are waging against teen pregnancy.A small portion of school health clinics across the country distribute birth-control pills to teens. But in Fairfax, even carrying the pills in a backpack is counted among the most serious offenses in the Student Responsibilities and Rights handbook.
During two weeks of watching television game shows and trying to keep up with homework online, the Fairfax teen, an honor student and lettered athlete, had time to study the handbook closely. If she had been caught high on LSD, heroin or another illegal drug, she found, she would have been suspended for five days. Taking her prescribed birth-control pill on campus drew the same punishment as bringing a gun to school would have.
Shouldn’t parents have the right to decide whether their teenage daughter can protect herself from an unwanted pregnancy, or is abortion the better option? A “just say no” approach to this is a little naive.
No drugs in lockers or in pockets. What’s the big deal? She could have left it with the school nurse and got what see needed as required.
With schools dealing with problems of illegal drugs, I don’t see how this is really news worthy.
You give some people an inch and many will want a mile.
Yea on the other hand “the pill” is medicine and to deny its use is discrimination of medical condition. Also, an invasion of privacy, etc.
There is a line between aggressive law enforcement and violation of rights. Its not hard to see which side of the line this case is on.
It just shows how nit picky nanny micro managing these schools have become. They would freak out if they had seen my high school locker in the late 80’s. Nyquil (good stuff), aspirin, ibuprofen, Tylenol, sudafed (pre meth scare 100 tablet bottle) plus the antihistamines I was on. I have some serious allergies that shots wouldn’t fix. Let alone my pocket knife I carried from the 6th grade on. I’m afraid of what we will have to deal with when my 4yo starts school.
Seemed like the issue was settled when the school called the mother.
But NOOOOOO…that was not enough. The global war on school children continues to escalate.
Schools need to concentrate on the cirriculum and leave out micro-management of students personal lives.
The headline makes it seem like the issue is over the TYPE of chemical, when the REAL issue is this GITMO policy.
#5 dogday…schools will concentrate on school when students concentrate on school.
Classic zero-tolerance at work again. Yawn.
I think the big deal Guyver is common sense. There is a difference between a plastic knife and an AK47. By way of this translation, taking a schedule 1 drug at school does not equate to taking birth control (or say, migraine/cluster headache pills for the males out there).
Yes, she should have left the medicine with the school nurse. No, as a student, you do not have an expectation of privacy as long as you are on school grounds… the 4th amendment does not apply in most cases… though in some, it can. This probably would not be one of them.
The real problem here is the punishment and a one size fits all framework. A simple warning would have been efficient, at the very most, a phone call and a discussion between a school official and a parent and, or legal guardian.
I think society in general needs to start lowering it’s tolerance for zero tolerance BS like this. But then of course, school administrators would have to think and make decisions on a case by case basis. That’s awful hard to do all day long, every day – it would almost be like doing a job.
And why can’t the girl take it at home in the morning like millions of others?
i think the school is completely right in not allowing any medication on school premises. all medication should be placed in control of the school nurse, apart from special exeptions (not including birth control).
i remember school, all kids wanted to do was abuse some new type of drug, whether it was legal or ilegal, it made no difference.
this girls either didnt care about getting caught or was stupid enough to get caught. would it of been that hard to go the the bathroom to take her pill in private? i dont think so.
Do schools really have nurses these days? they did when i was there, but i’m not sure if they have anyone dedicated to medical purposes these days, certainly not at the level of a real nurse, anyway.
probably a secretary with an unlocked draw full of bottles, who isn’t always there.
These zero-tolerance policies require students to check their medication in with the authorized distributor of all medicines (principal, nurse, whatever).
This would seem to violate a student’s right to privacy.
It would be interesting to know if this violates HIPAA…
#15;
Did I say “zero-tolerance policies?”
I meant “zero-intelligence policies.”
@McCullogh (original poster) and some others: Have you read the article? She had available to safe choices: a) To register with school nurse that she is taking this medicine. b) To take it at home (common sense one, these are not time of the day sensitive pills).
She didn’t do either. My thinking: she wanted to be cool both by defying policy and showing classmates that she is “on pill”. Despite of nonsense “zero tolerance” policies, all we have here is dumb teenager trying to be cool.
When I was in 10th grade (1978) I carried around a bottle of Codeine and Tylenol after having my wisdom teeth extracted. Nobody knew the wiser, or for that matter, cared.
Sad as this particular case is, the broader implications are even worse. Kids raised in this manner will have absolutely no expectation of privacy, will accept big brother watching all the time and will, when elected to office, legislate on that basis.
We’re doomed.
Where’s my SOMA?
What a fantastic way to
fightcause teen pregnancy!!As a nation, are we really this stoopid??!!? I guess so.
#18,
It was 1986, I was caught by the dean of students smoking a joint in my car in the school parking lot. He told me to throw it away, and if I was caught again he was gonna suspend me for a WHOLE WEEK!
Another sorry chapter in America’s Failed War on Drugs. FWoD sounds about right. Or should it be lower-cased? Should fwod be a noun, verb or both? “Our government has fwodded itself into impotence.” or “Depression? Nah, all we need is another fwod.” But I digress.
My suggestion is to take young Missie on a two-week vacation to Paris. She’ll learn a lot more there than she would have at Stalag Senior Secondary–and it will royally piss off the school principal. Vive la reine.
You guys really need to read and understand the HIPPA regulations.
Wow! I almost completely agreed with a post by Mr. Fusion until he went off the deep end and blamed the right wing.
All charges dropped against Stevens. The tubes have been untied!
[On topic Hill – ed.]
#25…Stevens is still guilty as hell.
No doubt she took the pill during the day because she was planning to bang the gym teacher in his office after 6th period. Duh!
Certainly, the buffoon administrators are *way* over-reacting here. Give the girl a detention and tell her to leave the BC pills at home.
*BUT* the “no pills at school” rule is not without merit. Kids trade pills, and take all kinds of who-knows-what nowadays to get high. And BC pills are serious medication that can cause damage if not taken properly or if abused.
Besides, why is she bringing the *daily* medication at school. Leave it at home, take it at home, avoid the trouble in the first place.
2, 3: That’s what happens when we live in a sue society with parents wanting heads to roll over damn near anything. What’s the best approach with the least liabilities?
And having things registered and retained by the school nurse is hardly an invasion of privacy. She’s a “medical professional”. She’s bound by the same privacy laws, no?
10: I don’t deny the common sense approach, but the problem is liabilities that the beloved lawyers in this country have brought down upon everyone in one way shape or form. When you get lawyers involved, common sense goes right out the window. You’ll always find some unscrupulous lawyer looking to make a quick buck out of a lawsuit.
Here’s another twist. If the school showed any leniency / slack, they could open themselves up for a discrimination lawsuit and so forth because they were easy-going for one student but not another.
12, And the girl would respond with why should she have to?
19, You’re blowing this way out of proportion. No one said she couldn’t take the meds. She just couldn’t have it on her to take anywhere or anytime around school… heck what if she “loaned” some to a GF and that GF has a bad reaction due to some unknown medical condition? Would the school be liable? Would the parents of the girl who gave out the pill to her friend be liable? We live in a sue society. This is what happens when you live in a sue society.
You mean there are limits on liberal prudery?
Who cares? Everyone knows she’s a slut.
School policy or school board policy as a repsonse to presure from parents and others?
10 to 1 the school didn’t make that one up.
#29, Guyver,
A sue society? What the heck? The child’s mother went to the school and spoke with the Principal. It was the Principal that didn’t want to discuss it.
Every day the billions of interactions. Every day there are more billions of products purchased. Billions of times every day no one sues because the interaction and product didn’t hurt anyone. When someone gets hurt you idiots trot out this “it’s a sue society”. Bullshit. Its a deny I’m responsible attitude that has so many law suits filed.
All a lawyer would need do is file a sex discrimination suit. Why? Because a male student wouldn’t be suspended for carrying a condom.
Do you suppose our society has come under the general impression that inalienable rights are now acquired only when one reaches age 18?
# 31 Angel H. Wong said,”Who cares? Everyone knows she’s a slut.”
Dear Angel, I do hope that was sarcasm and not your true feelings. You know there are other reasons than birth control for a teenager to take hormones like these. Some doctors use them to help control acne. Perhaps her young body is experiencing difficulties and she is being treated for extra heavy bleeding or irregular menses or even endometriosis. There’s a particularly awful form of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder and, guess what? The treatment is an oral birth control pill. There are other reasons.
Now, did she NEED to take the pill at school? Nope. None of the reasons for taking the pill are critically time dependent. As someone above suggested, she was probably showing off to her friends. Still, I don’t think it is right for a school administrator to come between me and my patient. Maybe I had a reason for suggesting she take the pill every day at lunch. There is a special and legal relationship between a doctor and a patient and the school nurse is not entitled to enter that relationship without invitation.
Assume the girl was not showing off but just caught popping the pill. Maybe she and her doctor decided it was not necessary to advertise to the world she had a problem with her ovaries that was causing hair to grow on her chest. Once she reported it to the school nurse, it will be in her school records for ever and don’t fool yourself into thinking there is any right of privacy about your school records.
Yes, the girl was wrong for bringing the pills to school. But, also wrong are idiotic school administrators and Miss Wong.