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Monday poll – should primary schools report drug finds
Posted by Trevor Mallard on August 9th, 2010 Loading ... Loading ...This entry was posted on Monday, August 9th, 2010 at 12:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
With 3 girls at Primary level schooling, I would certainly want to know if some little miscreant was bringing drugs to the school.
And would like to ensure that the appropriate action is taken against whomsoever had/gave the drugs to the child.
Im shocked that there needs to be a law forcing boards to select the “Both Police and Child Youth and Family”.
I would have thought it the default option and that they would hold firm on it.
Although I would change that option to Police, Child youth and family – and the childs family.
Failing to not notify all the appropriate parties when such a serious incident happens (and I put it up there with a sexual attach – both can ruin lives) then the teacher, head, and board should be held to account for not doing their jobs.
Is the reporting policy for students with Drugs a situation that has existed for many years? I suspect this policy has always been the case even under the Labour Government? The latest situation is of course at the most serious end of the scale, but in some schools I am not sure it is appropriate to call in the police / CYPS for an errant kid bringing a joint to school. The school can more often deal with the situation most effectively and therefore Tolley was probably correct. I am sure every school would have astrict drug policy – but one thing is for sure – this little punk and his/ her parents should have the full weight of the Law coming down upon them.
They’re just trying to weed out the bad individuals
That’s very clever Spud!
I said nobody because, if you cracked down on students at high schools who do weed every once in a while, there would be no students left, you have no idea how open it is students talk to teachers about it and have talked to teachers outside school while the teachers were high, and some kids come to school stoned and the teachers know and don’t care, and the deputy principle talks to students about it openly to find out if their doing too much if their wagging too much, it’s so common theres no point in trying to fight it.
Hi Richard and Dylan
@Dylan – that sounds like my old school LOL
Spud it’s probably every school in the country. Even the police are really tolerant of teenagers and weed if the school turned them in to the police they wouldn’t do much $50 fine and confiscation is the worst I’ve ever seen. I used to be really vocal about legalising it but it is already pretty much legal. I heard a story about a drugs educational speaker at a high school who said ‘if you are going to binge on anything binge on weed’. That being said while you are young it isn’t good to do it more than once every 3 or 4 weeks. Like everything in life – Moderation.
I think we are talking about notifying police about the detection of drugs on school property, that’s not necessarily going the same thing as ‘turning someone in’ for having a couple of joints in their possession. Basically its providing the police with intel.
I think it should depend on the scale and the circumstances. If the drugs are being sold, or the amount involved is clearly more than is for personal use, then both the Police and CYFS should be involved.
But dragging in the Police when its a kid with a single joint to share with his mates after school is OTT – that should rightly be dealt with internally by the school.
Tolley answer of letting each school make its own policy, however, is just as dumb as everything else she comes up with.
I was one of those that said Police only. I don’t think teachers and schools should be expected to do multiple reporting. I don’t buy reporting as OTT – that presumes an OTT reaction from the police. It is an opportunity to point out the seriousness of bringing a single joint (to use that example) to that kid and kids generally – where appropriate. I agree that joined together services may require multiple people to be aware, but that should be done in a way that is most efficient – and crimes should be reported; as has been said even if it just police intel.
I certainly agree that a process does need to be agreed, Tolley would have been better to say that she would seek advice on procedures that are currently in place with a view to ensuring that effective reporting systems are in place for every school – but then being helpful is not part of her brief is it – better to leave it to to others than use a policy analyst.
I trust the school already with my child’s safety and education. I think I can also trust them to handle drug situations on a case by case basis.
“But dragging in the Police when its a kid with a single joint to share with his mates after school is OTT – that should rightly be dealt with internally by the school.”
‘Dragging in’ is not the same as ‘reporting’. Do those arguing against this think if the police are called in they will throw the child in jail? Or their parents? It’s not about the police taking harsh action – it’s about them having all the information they need on something that is illegal.
Angeldust, cocaine, crystal meth, heroin: Police & Parents.
Alcohol, marrowjowarna, fags, mushies: CYFs & Parents.
Something like that – dependent on quantity.
Ha ha ha
I’d love to know what kind of kiddies manage to get their hands on heroin and cocaine 
Interestingly, whether you agree or disagree with weed, surely we can all agree that a growing brain ought to be kept away from it. Weed is something for adults to decide about not kids. I don’t care if all schools are riddled with it, if that is true, then NS aren’t whats needed to turn
You know, under such a circumstance I would have thought that Child, Youth and Family would have reported to the police anyway, There’s obviously something illegal going on, it would be just a little more diplomatic than calling 111.
I’ve been thinking, you know if they cut education funding too far it might be in the schools best interests to onsell the banned stuff
@Spud: The NZ education system would like to thank the following sponsors for their generosity:
Pall Mall Wellington College
Lucky Strike Burnside High School
Benson & Hedges Auckland Grammar
Camel Karori Normal School
Marlboro Western Springs College
ROTFL
!
umm – I said both, but in reality, there are an awful lot of variables to be aware of here. Questions that need to be asked are:
- who is the child? Would it be someone you expect or someone outside the norm
- who is the family? A known drug family or a good family where they would be horrified?
- Where did the drugs actually come from?
- etc
In terms of involving cyps – again, knowledge of the child and family come into play here – I am not sure its appropriate to involve them if its a functional family who are going to be horrified and put in place appropriate punishment at home – but for the known druggie family there is likely to be a care and protection issue going on and the good school will know all about the issues behind the family.
Its not as black and white as we like to think – and while I most loathe to believe anything trolly says, she kind of has a point – it should be, at primary level anyway, looked at in a case by case basis – AND – its not very common in primary schools – intermediates perhaps a little more so – but rarer in primary. It more likely to have been a child finding a bong or joint in the playground from the ratbags using the grounds in the weekend.
Ok – just read the article – in the cases they are speaking about, definitely police and cyps – its disgusting to think that parents can send a 12 yr old to school to sell to other kids – the parents/adults in that childs home (and ones like it) should have the book thrown at them and the kids placed in a safe place – unfortunately, such safe places do not really exist, and there really wont be much punishment for the adults. But we can live in hope?
And I stand by my statement that its less evident in primary – not non existent – but less evident. (despite the article suggesting the huge amount of stand downs etc are all drug related – and while we are on the subject of schools that ‘kick’ out their difficult kids – thats an area worth discussing and fixing – in some cases its lazy leadership and highlights the lack of ability some schools have in engaging and supporting at risk kids! 100,000 kids kicked out is disgraceful and this needs to be looked at – some schools kick kids out for the most stupid of things – there are better ways to deal with things…and we wonder why they go truant and hook into drugs and gangs…sorry rant over)
Lazy kids tend to be bored kids. Our focus on predominantly one method of teaching/learning doesnt trigger interest from those who dont learnt hat way. NS is the precursor tot he 1940’s teaching style, 60 in a room, sit down and shut up or go to the principle for a caning, listen while I talk, write it down, regurgitate, dont stare out the window etc etc
It will work for some, the same ones who excel now. We need teachers and a system of support for teaching that asks the kid staring out the window to share what they’re thinking about, daydreaming is a great discussion starter, take whatever they’re thinking about, apply your experience and skills, and turn it into an education experience.
It is possible. Successful education is about engagement not alienation.
The kid who is kicked out of one school, goes where? Which school will accept them,? Or lets put them in a borstalw ith kids “like” them (Behaviouirally) and let them educate each other in “bad” ways.
I don’t think there’s every any excuse for not reporting drug finds in primary or intermediate schools to CYF. I’d be reluctant about saying they should be reported to police if we’re talking about any punitive action for the kids involved, (if kids are getting their hands on drugs they need positive intervention, not punishment) but absolutely supportive if it were with a focus on finding out how primary or intermediate students got their hands on illegal drugs.
That said, I don’t think the fact that we need to protect children under 18 from brain misdevelopment from smoking pot should be taken as a verdict on wider drug policy.
Addendum to my previous post: Life imitates art.