In the state of Texas, law enforcement officers regularly search children and vehicles near the school for drugs and tobacco products. If anyone under the age of 18 is caught with even so much as a cigarette butt in the ashtray of the vehicle he drove to school that day (even his parent's vehicle), he will lose his driver's license until he turns 18. My youngest son smokes cigarettes and dips snuff. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. The school discipliniarian last year threatened to strip search him looking for snuff. My son told him to go ahead and call the law and the ambulance before he started. There was no strip search. (The next line should have been, "And you may as well have them wait here till my mother gets through with you, too.") Anyway, the question is--Do the schools and the states you live in do this?

By the way, for those of you who are getting ready to start typing about how parents like me are the problem and that's why schools are the way they are now--can it. I've heard it already, and ANYONE at any school who orders my child to strip naked will be considered a pedaphyle by me and suffer the same wrath. He may do things I don't like and don't agree with, but he is still mine till death do we part.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), August 31, 2000

Answers

I agree with you Green. The school may have the right to forbid tobacco on their property and I wouldn't particularly like my child using it either. But anyone who would strip search my child over something as asinine as tobacco would have moe than just my wrath descend upon them.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), August 31, 2000.

I agree with you at least in part, but it dosen't really matter because your son will probably die of cancer before he's middle aged anyway.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), August 31, 2000.

a little on the cold side i would say! if i would ever find out that someone stripped searched my child i think i would bust. would that not fall under some type of child abuse law? if i can not by law spank my child how could the law strip search them?

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), August 31, 2000.

In Texas, and yes Green, smoking, weed or cigarettes, dipping, drugs, guns, weapons, and fighting are against the law for anyone under age or on a school campus, even a teacher, or you! Our schools have a no smoking and dipping, weapon, school zone, policies in force on school grounds period even for parents! And absolutly zero tollerance, as it should be. You may choose to allow, and from what I see here in my neck of the woods, it isn't choosing for them, it is that they rule the roost, most boys by the age of 14 are drinking beer with Dad on the weekends! And in most families whatever Dad decides for the kids is fine, and Mom is left trying to control these neglected by Dad, out of control, mostly Boys. Anyway you may choose to allow your son to break the law and buy his cigarettes for him, but he shouldn't be allowed to break the rules at school that you and him both know exsist. And you know darn well he will be taking your younger children and any kid that will go with him, to smoke or dip.

Whats wrong with Texas schools? My best answer was given to me the other day at the barber with my son 16 and nephew 15. Redneck Billy Bob was sitting in the chair while his 9 year old son and 4 year old daughter were running wild around the room, his wife sat there like a bump, the typical east Texas door mat wife, and out of he Husbands mouth came. "Kids can sass their Mom, but never their Paw, and certainly never their Teacher, or there will be hell to pay" Well certainaly these kids have never been disciplined to mind or the hundreth time they ran around the room after their mom told them to sit down, perhaps they would have stopped? After his tirade about our schools and how there is no discipline in them, I casually mentioned to my son, "see Jake, when you can't control your own children when they are that age, you certainly can't control them when they are your age!" Jake just smiled, (he knows me very well) my Nephew cringed in his chair and of course RedNeck Billy Bob just glared at me and finally after 25 minutes of listening to his wife yell at the kids, told them to sit down and shut up! Course they were up again 2 minutes later, and I just smiled! You gotta love Texas! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 31, 2000.

Let's see Vicki, you seem to hate men and Texas. Perhaps your ignorance is getting in the way of you seeing things clearly.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), August 31, 2000.

Joe , I don't think it had anything to do with hating men or Texas . In my book the person or so called man Vicki was describing was no man at all , he was an ASS!

A man has respect for his wife and children , he would want the best for them .His wife shouldn't be sassed by no one including her own children .And children should behave in public and at home .

As for some states there just seem to be more asses than men !

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), August 31, 2000.

Hi Patty ;) Geeze Joel....I mean Joe!!! Answer Greens question, why just the comment on mine? This is exactly the kind of thing that makes the sensitive folks like me afraid to post, when big old mean guys like you are just going to come on behind my post and make me cry! :) (Some of you are really enjoying that one!!) No but really, I love men, I like Texas. It's this type of Texas Man I loathe! Texan Joe? Californian here, or perhaps you already could tell?! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 31, 2000.

I can almost always when someone from the Socialist State of California speaks.

-- Joe Cole (jcole@apha.com), August 31, 2000.

The question WAS NOT how I should raise my children, Vicki, nor was it if it is legal for them to harass my child. I do not have to buy my son's cigarettes: there are plenty of other folks around that will do that for him. I HAVE NOT been permissive with any of my children. I have raised them alone for 12 years, and they may not ve perfect, but I doubt any one on here really does have perfect children. I love them any way, no matter what, and I will defend them from strip searches. The question was: do other states do this or is this just the great state of Texas, which I hope and pray I live long enough to leave. Can I please hear from people from other states? Thanks.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), August 31, 2000.

hi green i have never heard of a strip search here in Michigan.my daughter was caught with tabacco the police were called. she got a lecture(like she hasn't heard my tabbaco lectures) also a ticket and had to go to tabbaco awareness classes. i would like for none of my children to smoke but sometimes there just is nothing you can do about the choices your kids make. we have tried it all to no avail! but that doesn't make you love them any less. i totally agree with you on the strip search thing NO WAY! have a great day! cindy

-- cindy young (cin_sue63@webtv.net), August 31, 2000.

Green, I have no knowledge of specific laws where I live. I was however, suspended from high school for smoking, let's see...33 years ago. I imagine it is still illegal to smoke in Seattle Public Schools but the way things are going, maybe they have cigarette machines in the hallways now!

I think a strip search would be way out of line. Perhaps calling a parent and having them come in and do the strip search would work, tho! If that had happened to me, I think I would have rather quit smoking, or alternatively, died right on the spot! Might be an effective "punishment".

p.s. I quit smoking ages ago.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), August 31, 2000.

Green , sorry if you got upset by a few comments and sorry I did not reply to your ? So here goes , tobacco is a nono and you will be suspended ! No questions asked , as far as strip searching they would then have to strip search the person who did it to my child so they could retreive my shoe from there butt . I have never heard of such a thing .

I was not trying to say I had perfect children or say you did not do a good job raising yours .As parents we have to pick are battles .This would be a big one for me since we have lost family to lung cancer .

I would sugest letting him visit with someone on oxygen or dying of lung cancer . Show him pictures of a healthy lung than a picture of a smokers lung .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), August 31, 2000.

I would personally shoot anyone strip searching a child, any child ! Call it a lst act of a dying democracy but I would still cast that last ballot !

How did Vickii drag my name into this ? Vickii doesn't hate all men. She only hates men who's name start with J. Be Careful though Vickii--if the feds fire on the Grays than Joel will be in Texas ! LOL

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), August 31, 2000.

Joel, close but no cigarette :) Husbands name is John! Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 31, 2000.

Poor John !

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), September 01, 2000.

No one seems to want to address Green's question, read it again! Are strip searches of minors, permitted in your area, state, county whatever, for drugs, including tobacco products and so forth.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.neth), September 01, 2000.

Hey, give Vicki a break! Any man in any state whose name begins with anything from A-Z that acts like that is a jerk.

I've never heard of strip searches in Ohio schools. But they are allowed to search lockers, cars, purses, and have the kids empty their pockets. In our district they have been known to do locker searches at night and then arrest the kids in the morning.

-- Denise (jphammock@msn.com), September 01, 2000.

Thanks Denise, and I will start over. Green, never heard of any strip searchs going on in our part of Texas, it isn't in the handbook, course if a child in our school is caught with tobacco products of anykind the police are called, and then you would be talking strip search which is part of being arrested. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), September 01, 2000.

Thank you for your answers. I wondered if other states and other schools were so high handed. I don't like the fact that my son smokes, but there really is little I can do about it. I don't think it should be a crime and do not agree with the state on this, along with an ever growing list of things. The thing that totally amazes me about our local situation is the fact that this alleged discipliniarian is still employed here. He has crossed the line over and over again, even ripping Confederate flag bumper stickers off a car in the parking lot and taping nasty notes all over the car. The car belonged to a parent who had come for a conference and she filed vandalism charges on him. The city cops wouldn't do it. She had to call the sheriff. I have decided that it isn't really my children that are driving me crazy---it's my children while they are attending the school system. The rest of the year we get along quite happily here. Thanks again.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), September 01, 2000.

I LIKE IT IN SCHOOL, email me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- frank peluso (surfa732@aol.com), February 06, 2001.