Worrying

Waikato schools suspend more students
16 June 2006
By JUSTINE TURNER

Waikato students are being sent home in their hundreds as violence and drug abuse worsen in schools. Figures released by Education Minister Steve Maharey show there were 2248 stand-downs and 617 suspensions in Waikato schools last year ? an increase on 2004 figures. Suspensions are up 10 per cent and stand-downs have increased by two per cent.

Morrinsville College had the highest stand-down rate for high schools in the region with 135, while Te Kauwhata College suspended the most, with 33 students sent home. A stand-down sees the student removed from school for a specified period, while suspension is the removal until the board of trustees decides the student's fate. In the worst cases, the students are expelled.

Te Kauwhata College principal Colin Driller said 28 of the 33 suspensions were related to drugs. 'It's illegal and so we take a tough-line approach to it,' he said. 'We were the top decile three school in 2004 NCEA for the upper North Island, increasing our results by 25 per cent. We take a hard line with discipline and we get results.'

Morrinsville College principal John Inger said the school issued stand-downs for teacher abuse, physical assault and drug-related incidents. He said the stand-downs were all minor and he believed working with the students instead of suspending them worked better. 'We want to ensure our students and staff are safe,' he said.

For most Waikato schools physical abuse was the main reason for students being stood down in 2005. This figure was up slightly by 10 students to 612 in 2005. Other increases were recorded for verbal abuse towards staff, up 32 per cent to 415; drug use at 131 was up six per cent and alcohol at 76 was up 49 per cent.

Bad behaviour at 516, dangerous behaviour at 138 and theft at 73, all dropped from 2004. Drugs, which include substance abuse, accounted for most suspensions last year ? 206 students, which was a 44 per cent increase in this area.

Huntly College principal Tim Foy said there were better ways to deal with misconduct than suspension ? the school recorded none.

It seems like they're cracking down on it early - good on them. Here it seems like they've closed the barn door after the cattle are already out.

Sadly these drug problems seem to follow a pattern of the areas mentioned. They are all rural or run down small towns, that hold no entertainment for the younger audience.

Morrinsville is a nice town, but there's always youth trouble there as there's nothing to do (usually on the showgrounds eh Zemanova?!). Huntly is about 20kms from us here and is very much a mining town with most of the local jobs based in the 2 mines there. Again, not much to do and that town is obviously affected with a lot of 'tagging' (spray painted signatures/gang names etc).

Whats sad is that this kind of thing, usually drug related (and usually 'P') is on the increase. What is good though is that the other 90% of the population and the government are annoyed about it and want something done about it - which seems to also be happening. You can only hope that NZ gets on top of it's difficulties before it goes the way of so many other countries with the close the door and forget about it attitude. Drug busts are increasing in size and quantity all the time as there is a huge sting on it going on at the moment. Lets just hope it has an effect.

Luckily, there still is hope.

What is good though is that the other 90% of the population and the government are annoyed about it and want something done about it - which seems to also be happening.

This is a start, anyway.

Auckland University begins party pill study
7.00am Tuesday June 20, 2006

Auckland University researchers have begun the first controlled study into the effects of party pills on the human body.

Volunteers will be assessed on their ability to perform simple tasks after taking one or both of the two main chemical constituents of the pills.

Extra research will look at how the liver metabolises the chemicals and how long they stay in the body.

- NZ Herald

Heh ... I'd kill for numbers like that in my school---and I don't consider us too bad off!

We were running our end-of-year reports yesterday and in a high school of approximately 400 students, we had about 450 suspension days last year. On average, that's a little more than 1 per child or about 2.5 kids in suspension each day!

Our suspended students are detained in a special program which operates out of the district offices, which are right down the street. We just started this program as an alternative to just sending them home to watch TV when they get in trouble. Most of the offenses are for things like swearing at teachers (very common) and cutting class. We have had very few fights and no drug-related suspensions this year ... most kids have caught on that bringing drugs into school means being expelled for the remainder of the year and don't risk it.

NZ has benefited from its geographical isolation for so long now, making it harder for drug and people traffickers to infiltrate the NZ market. However, now that the world is getting smalling and smaller, how long can the drugs be kept out?


Tottefan.

Committee calls for ban on 'party pills'
Wednesday December 20, 2006

The Government has been advised to outlaw the sale of "party pills" by an expert committee which has been studying their dangers. The pills can be legally purchased by those over 18, but critics say their main active ingredient benzylpiperazine (BZP) is dangerous and pill doses are often far higher than recommended, leading to significant potential harm.

A Cabinet committee is looking at whether BZP and related substances commonly found in party pills should be banned or further restricted.

Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton today said he was still considering the official advice from the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD), but had taken the step of releasing it so people were aware of the pills' dangers.

Mr Anderton, the Minister in charge of drug policy, said considering the advice was the first step he was required to make in taking any statutory decision. He said one trial had shown frequent and severe side effects - including seizures - from the drug's use, suggesting the potential for serious harm for some users, even at relatively low doses.

"While there have been on recorded deaths attributed solely to the use of BZP, we know that severe adverse effects from the use of 'party pills' occur unpredictably. The expert committee was concerned that the seizures which have been recorded have the potential to kill."

The committee had recommended sale and possession of BZP be outlawed. The drug should be given a similar classification to cannabis. But Mr Anderton said there were several legal steps he had to take before he could make a final decision on whether to recommend a ban on BZP.

They included seeking further information and advice, consulting fully with other government agencies and seeking public and industry views. He aimed to conclude consultation by March 2007.

The National Party and New Zealand First have accused the Government of dragging its feet on the issue.

- NZPA

The other side of the coin.