Extremely upset with my daughters school and NOPE

I got a call yesterday afternoon from my 8th graders counselor at school. According to her my 14 yr old daughter had to be removed from assembly and was pretty hysterical,to the point when I asked to talk to her I couldn't even understand her.

The counselor informed me that an organization called NOPE-narcotics overdose prevention & education had held a assembly on overdose and Markala had become very upset?

She is not generally a hysterics kind of kid,just the opposite,little phases her.

I can't get much in the way of explanation at this point and she wants to remain in school.

When she came in she handed me a pamphlet that they had given her and the front shows 4 young men carrying a casket with only the words "Just one time could KILL you" written just like that.

We sat down to talk as I'm still not getting the overkill here with emotions,she's been in DARE and we have had numerous conversation about the subject. My 23 yr old son had a drug problem and is in the suboxone clinic at home,she knows the subject well and the dangers.

It seems the entire talk was geared solely on methadone and the extreme dangers of it. They never touched once on its benefits used correctly as all narcotics. They mentioned only one other drug and that was fentanyl.

The whole time the stressed it only took one pill to kill you. Used examples of Anna Nicole Smith.

Then a parent of a child she went to school with last year who had died of overdose but she didn't know the circumstances surrounding that death was there. The parent told how the boy and his friend went to the methadone clinic and dug the old bottles out of the dumpsters and there evidently was enough in them to be able to overdose on?

Every clinic I know of makes them rinse the bottles before they throw them away. You never know.

My anger stems of course because they didnt put the info out that pain Patients benefit and we are titrated slowly to prevent overmedicating. Just stressed that 1 pill at anytime could KILL YOU.

She knows that I have took it for many years but yet they literally terrified her. She was some better after we talked but I caught her coming in looking at me several times during the night and she's not done it before.

We are extremely close as its been her and I through this entire CP venture,she was only 3 months old when I got hurt.

Why would any place put the bad out there and not even mention the good this med serves some. It's like any other substance that is abused,it has the potential to kill but it also has benefits.

I just think they need to stop and think about what they are telling these kids. Not all medicine is bad,it's how you use it or abuse it.

Vickie

For Pete's sake! Education is one thing, but sensationalism can be detrimental. Sadly it's quite the norm nowadays to over dramatize.... and I'm sorry that the school scared your daughter so badly. Perhaps a one on one with the school counselor to share your situation, and then the three of you can sit down and discuss the topic in calm "non-hype" manner.

Vickie…I'm terribly sorry that your daughter was traumatized by this. I would have thought that they would have started by saying that these are medications intended for patients. By passing that fact and introduced as harmful drugs…then I can see where your daughter would be upset.

I also agree that it might be helpful to take your daughter to your an appointment.

SE

Oh boy is this one a hot topic for me too right now . My 12 year old son came home yesterday from just such a class in health. They were told that anyone who takes opiates is an addict and they need to go to rehab. You all can imagine my reaction to that statement. I explained again to my children that misusing any medication can cause problems and asked them if they saw any problems in me. Of course they answered no but I had to explain to them again that it is not the med that is a problem it is the person that misuses it.

Wow. Personally, I think that the school was irresponsible in their presentation of this subject. It would have been one thing if they were speaking on the use of illicit/illegal drugs - there is no 'other side to it. However, while doing a presentation on the dangers of abusing legitimate medications, the responsible thing would have been allowing a CP patient (or physician) to speak for the 'other side' of the issue. The purpose of these assemblies is - Education! When we want to educate someone on a particular subject, it is important to present ALL sides. JMHO. C:

Being told by 'professionals' that just ONE PILL can kill you - I don't blame your daughter for getting so upset! Now if all sides of the issue had been discussed at that assembly, she would have walked away educated on the subject - not hysterical and scared! Very irresponsible of the school, in my opinion.

Funny you should say that SplashD, the 2nd page of this pamphlet says "prescriptions and illicit drugs" can prescription drugs be illicit? Yes.

You know my daughter and I came to Florida 5 yrs ago,we needed change,I told this story a long time ago in another thread so I'm not goin to tell it again but to say we had lost 3 family members in side of a year,different causes all accidents and unexpected.

My longtime friend who all my kids were really close to but especially Markala as we had been roommates a good part of her life committed suicide. Together it was all too many losses for a child to go thru and she spent a year in counseling.

She got it into her head with me being an older Mom and the medical issue I was going to die too. She is 15 I had her when I was 41.

She had to be homeschooled that year as she never left my side,she clung like ivy folks. She didn't sleep until she was exhausted,never went any place without me. Forcing her brought on chest pains that were merely anxiety attacks.

The school counselor and I had a very long talk about all of this when she enrolled back into the public school system. Now she's watching me sleep again,checking on me.

If these idiots have set this child back over this, there will be no ends to my voice.

Like SplashDancer said Education is the key. Teaching one side of an issue? Like discussing the norths part in the civil war an leaving out the south!!!

I've got a call into her therapist but someone told me she was no longer with that practice. Be really hard starting over with a different one.

Jim the newspapers a great idea. It's time someone says something. All we see here I Florida is the bad side of Drs and prescription meds. I understand the need but also understand the benefits.

Vickie

Splash, Jim, and Retiredmom, Well put!

Maybe its just me, but I remember DARE classes in school could only be entered with a permission slip (just like sexEd) as some parents thought, like retiredmom said, teaching about it can also pique interest.
I wonder why they stopped asking parents permission to hold such classes and assemblies?

I asked the school today why we are no longer asked permission for the things they teach and preach.

I was informed we are and instead of individual forms for everything they have we get a standard form to cover all things at the beginning of each school year. Are you kidding me?

I recall that form and its got like 4 things on it for instance their work displayed,their name or initials only on displayed work. Some other stuff about pictures and videos taping.

Then it covers school wide trips and assembly's. I never assumed that was what kind of things they were talking about. I'm thinking pep rallies,younger kids performing,etc.

I talked to alot of people from the top down but they pretty much looked at me like I was seriously overreacting.

My problem wasn't what they said its what they didn't say to those kids. You can't teach wrong without right,English without grammar,why would you teach about the evils of prescription meds and not the benefits.

Parents will be lucky to get them to take an antibiotic,they will be afraid it will kill them!!!

Vickie