Saturday, May 2, 2009
Setting The Wrong Policy
Yet we can maintain a free society only if we recognize that in a free society no one can win all the time. No one can have his own way all the time, and no one is right all the time. -Richard NixonThe Wahey Boys like to call them the “micro-policy makers”, as those who feel there needs to be a rule for every facet of life; a few more shots across the bow on the “canning in front of liquor stores” debate. Policy-makers, such as School Committees, Mayors, and department heads, have a responsibility, not only to make the rules but to look at the issues with an unbiased eye and decide whether a rule is required. Does there need to be a rule that states “wash your hands frequently” because you might catch the flu? Some people think so. Many rules and policies, originally meant to be well-meaning, too often backfire and begin to work against the innocent. We offer the following recent stories as examples of policy gone awry.
59-year-old Melinda Herrick, an art teacher who had been a Teacher of the Year honoree in the Houston schools, was charged with violating the “drug-free zone” law after cops found two Xanax pills in her car; the drug is often prescribed for panic disorder. Herrick protested that the car had been in the shop for repairs for more than a month before the incident; her daughter also drove the car. Students rallied on her behalf and the charges were finally dropped after she underwent a drug test which indicated that she did not use drugs.
Also in Texas, “A teenager was disciplined for sharing medication used to treat asthma, but he said it saved his girlfriend’s life, News2Houston reported Wednesday. Andra Ferguson and her boyfriend, Brandon Kivi, both 15, use the same type of asthma medicine, Albuterol Inhalation Aerosol. … But the school nurse said it was a violation of the district’s no-tolerance drug policy, and reported Kivi to the campus police. The next day, he was arrested and accused of delivering a dangerous drug. Kivi was also suspended from school for three days. He could face expulsion and sent to juvenile detention on juvenile drug charges.”
The Dennis Township Primary School in Cape May, New Jersey suspended a 7-year-old second grader for drawing a stick figure holding a gun. He gave the drawing to a schoolmate whose parents saw it and complained. The 7-year-old’s mother thought the official reaction was excessive, particularly since the drawing was depicting a person using a water pistol.
On the other side of the coin, sometimes policy makers, need only set a precedent or speak out against something everyone knows is wrong. In other words, we don’t need more rules, we only need to enforce the rules already in place. Hooray for Mayor Sue Kay, who publicly stated she was going to work with police to defend Weymouth against the infestation of drugs and actually FOLLOWED IT UP by having police conduct a sweep of the high school for drugs. By doing this she has set a precedent stating, “we won’t allow young people to break the law.” Hopefully, the police will continue to randomly visit schools and search for drugs.
And what about the recent rash of drug addicts who need to feed their habit so badly that they sacrifice the well-being of their own children? A woman, man and 4 week old child drove to Quincy and were caught delivering heroin. They were caught because someone saw something that was obviously wrong and called police. There is no policy for this. Do you think this woman’s baby was in a car seat? Will that policy save this child? No amount of rule making can take the place of knowing the difference between right and wrong.
POSTED BY STAN at May 2, 2009
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