Girl Handing Out Cough Drops Accused Of Selling Drugs At School

[Special2bme]

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- A Clay County father said he wants answers after his daughter and two other kids at her elementary school were accused of selling drugs and facing possible punishment all over some Vitamin C drops.

The 9-year-old girl told Channel 4 that she thinks of things like cigarettes as drugs, and she was confused when her teacher told her Halls are also considered a drug.

Fourth-grade student Khalin Rivenbark said her teacher accused of her selling drugs in school.

"She saw me with the cough drops out and I guess she saw me give it to one of my friends, and then like, 'Oh, I see this good business going on around you,'" Khalin said. "She said, 'You're selling drugs.' (I said) 'No I'm not.'"

The drugs the girl allegedly had were the Halls Defense Vitamin C cough drops, which her father had put in her backpack weeks ago to take to school when the child was getting over a cold.

"It's absolutely crazy," said Khalin's father.

Khalin said two of her friends at school asked her for cough drops and she gave them out, but the friends, she said, insisted on giving her a dollar in exchange for the drops.

"She felt guilty taking the cough drop or whatever, so she gave me a dollar. I didn't want to accept it, but she had me take it," Khalin said.

According to the student handbook for Clay County Schools, "If a student must take a prescription or over-the-counter medication during school hours, it must be received and stored in the original container, and be labeled with the student's name, current date, prescription dosage, frequency of administration and physician's name."

The question remains whether Halls Defense qualifies as an over-the-counter drug. Although many cough drops contain menthol as an active ingredient, the brand that Khalin had did not contain menthol.

After examining the ingredients in the drops Khalin had, Channel 4 reporter Diane Cho said the ingredients in the cough drops were near exactly the same as what's in a Lifesafers candy.

The girl's father, Andy Rivenbark, said he didn't get a note or call from school administrators about the incident. He said he just wants answers.

"It's definitely detrimental to somebody who we teach the whole time growing up, 'don't use drugs because drugs are bad.' To accuse her, it's unnecessary to make a comment like that," Rivenbark said.

Khalin has not been punished yet. She said her teacher and her principal would meet again Wednesday morning to discuss things further.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18295358/detail.html

I believe in our county schools they would be considered medication and left in the nurses office.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Give me a fucking break. Things are getting so out of hand and beyond common sense.

How the hell did I every survive schooling without all the damn rules and political correctness?

[Special2bme]

How the hell did I every survive schooling without all the damn rules and political correctness?

Because back in my day teachers, principal, vice principal would let the small things slide. When I was in high school we had a smoking area. However since we didn't have time in between classes to get to the smoking area we smoked in the bathroom. I can't tell you how many times I got caught smoking in the bathroom and the teachers would just threaten me saying if I catch you one more time I will give you a demerit. Yea right, NOT! Shit I did other things to in high school but was smart enough not to get caught.

[KiKi]

This is ridiculous. If I were accused of selling drugs everytime I gave a friend a cough drop in school (not even that, it was a vitamin c drop), I would be the biggest drug dealer ever. In my high school, they had the same rules with the prescription and over-the-counter drugs but since they were vitamin c drops, they didn't have menthol in them, they can't seriously be considered a drug.

And now it's like a week later and the teacher and principal are going to talk about a punishment? I don't think that this girl deserves any kind of punishment because 1. it's a week after this whole thing happened and 2. neither one of her parents were contacted about what was going on. My parents would have freaked if I got in serious trouble for something and they weren't notified. Ridiculous is the only word that I can come up with for this whole situation.

[malq]

I'm missing something, there must be more to this story or it is a joke.
I can't believe things are this far out of wack.

[Death Bed]

Reading between the lines here, it sounds like the kid was selling the cough drops, but that doesn't constitute actually selling drugs. She shouldn't be allowed to get away with a 200% mark up on the price of one drop though either.

Kids aren't just going to give someone a dollar for a damn cough drop. They might trade or barter, but not exchange money, that's ridiculous.

[Rockin Ma]

Because back in my day teachers, principal, vice principal would let the small things slide. When I was in high school we had a smoking area. However since we didn't have time in between classes to get to the smoking area we smoked in the bathroom. I can't tell you how many times I got caught smoking in the bathroom and the teachers would just threaten me saying if I catch you one more time I will give you a demerit. Yea right, NOT! Shit I did other things to in high school but was smart enough not to get caught.

I got expelled my second day of school for smoking in the bathroom... the boys bathroom. My best friend wouldn't come in the girls room so I went in the boys. Guess that was a big no no.

Teacher telling a 9 year old she's got a good business going on is funny.

[petrina]

yes there must be something more.

i taught in the mid 90s and that was when they put drugs on lockdown in our schools here. everything, even aspirin and cough drops, had to be left in the office with a note from parents.

but i agree that there is no way a 9 year old kid would offer another kid a dollar for a vitamin c drop. that just doesnt happen. she asked for that dollar.

and a kid who will try to sell a vitamin c drop for a dollar is either creative, going to be a good businessperson, or is just a bitch. either the teacher couldnt deal with her creativeness (which can be tiring to teachers, we all know) or the kid needs to find some boundaries.

but charging her with selling drugs is ridiculous. and pathetic.

[MadmamainNC]

While it's important that our kids are safe while in school, this is a bit ridiculous.
Remember the case where the girl saved anothers life by giving her, her inhaler and was facing expulsion?

A grown woman who was in my daughter's class at college this semester was expelled because her hubby left his hunting rifle in his truck and she used the truck to drive herself to school. A security guard who was walking around looking into cars, saw it. Even with the explanation and hubby stating it was his, she was still expelled.

[Death Bed]

A grown woman who was in my daughter's class at college this semester was expelled because her hubby left his hunting rifle in his truck and she used the truck to drive herself to school. A security guard who was walking around looking into cars, saw it. Even with the explanation and hubby stating it was his, she was still expelled.

My best friend growing up likes to hunt, and so he got a concealed weapons permit, that way he can't get in trouble for things like that.

[Kitty]

A grown woman who was in my daughter's class at college this semester was expelled because her hubby left his hunting rifle in his truck and she used the truck to drive herself to school. A security guard who was walking around looking into cars, saw it. Even with the explanation and hubby stating it was his, she was still expelled.

My best friend growing up likes to hunt, and so he got a concealed weapons permit, that way he can't get in trouble for things like that.

In many states a hunting rifle in plain sight generally doesn't require concealed weapons permit,(anyone remember pick-ups with gun racks?) but in this day and age with assholes shooting shit up.. Security tends to be a little more extreme and any weapon on school grounds (many colleges are governmental property) is taken very seriously.

[Death Bed]

And with so many crazies out there, it should be taken seriously. It still sucks though for those who can carry a gun without feeling the need to shoot 30 people.

[DogMom]

This is totally out of control! Halls Defense? They are no stronger than lifesavers. Unbelievable... And the teacher ought to be smacked for making such an stupid comment.

In my day we had cap guns. We ran around shooting each other and playing dead. If we were caught with them in school, the teachers would just take them away.

If I were to pull out every type of toy we played with and cough drops we ate, and give them to my child today, I'd be arrested.

[Harley_Tech]

http://www.news4jax.com/news/18295358/detail.html

I believe in our county schools they would be considered medication and left in the nurses office.

I'd bet a dollar there is a label on the package calling the product a dietary supplement. If it were me, (and I despise suing over stupid shit) I'd file a lawsuit against the teacher and school district seeking that they change the stupid rules to include some common sense.

On the other hand the rules are probably a result of some other stupid lawsuit.

R

[Death Bed]

When I was in elementary school, I'd used to sneak in halls and suck on them, to get buzzed off the menthol flavor, and then I'd breath it in the person's face next to me, to give them a shotgun high.

[sanityslipping]

This is completely fucking ridiculous! I had a high school teacher who gave out vitamin C tabs as a reward, and this was only about 4 years ago, I'm sure he hasn't changed much. If you got a hard question right, or something, he'd give you one (they were yummy). If you were hacking up a storm or sneezing or sniffling a lot, he'd give you one too, cuz sick kids are distracting (according to him) I can't believe that they would try to get her in trouble for this. Maybe taking her aside, and saying, you shouldn't have these in school, it's against the rules, and a note home or a phone call to dad, explaining the rules again, to him, since he sent them with her. But to accuse the child of selling drugs? WTF

I once had a friend of mine get in trouble for carrying her birth control in her purse. She was staying the night at a friends house, so she brought it with her. When the school made a fit about it, her mom went up there and threw a bigger fit, and they agreed that next time, the girl would either leave the pills in her car, or would take them to the office, and pick them up at the end of the day. One of the office staff tried to say something about a sixteen year old girl being on BC, too young to be on birth control, mom encouraging sex by allowing it, bad example, etc..., and Ash's mom came back with something along the lines of "at least my girl will get out of high school with out poppin out babies", which was a low blow, as office ladies daughter was pregnant, and only a year older, it shut her the fuck up.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

It is a totally sad commentary on the state of our culture that they even have to make these rules.

[mpratt]

Don't you get Halls in the fucking candy aisle??????? They are right there in the grocery store line, mixed with the candy...

[Special2bme]

The girl and her father met with officials at the Patterson Elementary School on Wednesday morning about the incident.

During the meeting, officials said, the girl and her father were told not to bring cough drops to school anymore because of a district-wide policy on student use of medication.

According to the student handbook for Clay County Schools, "If a student must take a prescription or over-the-counter medication during school hours, it must be received and stored in the original container, and be labeled with the student's name, current date, prescription dosage, frequency of administration and physician's name."

According to school officials, there was no threat of discipline of any kind

So I guess everything turned out cool.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

I bet the office is going to love handing out cough drops all day. What a waste of class time and personnel time. Of course, they can always just let the kids cough up germs all day.

[petrina]

i know it sounds dumb, but its either state or fed law that you cannot hand out medication to anyone unless you are a certified medication technician. and schools interpret this as cough drops, perhaps bc the law does. idk. it just is what it is.

[Lizard]

After seeing the title to this thread, I've come up with a GREAT idea for a story! The title would be "The Little Cough Drop Girl," and it would be about this sad little girl out in the snow, selling cough drops for a penny a piece. She would look into the windows of homes around her and see the families all warm and cough-free...

And at the end of the story, she dies. Doesn't that sound like a great story!

[Special2bme]

After seeing the title to this thread, I've come up with a GREAT idea for a story! The title would be "The Little Cough Drop Girl," and it would be about this sad little girl out in the snow, selling cough drops for a penny a piece. She would look into the windows of homes around her and see the families all warm and cough-free...

And at the end of the story, she dies. Doesn't that sound like a great story!

I have been sitting all afternoon cussing and yelling while wrapping presents. Why because Art is an idiot and then he says I'm a scrooge and adds to say no your stages way past scrooge. So I knew someone would post something hiliarious so I could LMFAO and I thank you Lizard for being the one.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

i know it sounds dumb, but its either state or fed law that you cannot hand out medication to anyone unless you are a certified medication technician. and schools interpret this as cough drops, perhaps bc the law does. idk. it just is what it is.

Most often you can cough drops sold in the candy aisle. I don't even count them as a "medication" as I doubt there are any major side effects or overdose problems.

Most schools administer medications in the office by secretaries. They have no special training on when and how to administer cough drops. The sufferer probably is the best judge of that. (except the kids who eat them as candy)

Would they require you to bring honey to the office? According to the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (Dec 2007 (http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/161/12/1140?etoc)), Honey is more effective than dextromethorphan (DM) - one of the most common cough suppressants in OTC medications. It is also safe for kids aged 2-6 which most OTC medications are no longer advised for.

If you sent a bunch of flavored honey stix (http://www.americanhoneycompany.com/products.htm) would they confiscate them? By the way - the sticks are wonderful as additives to tea or coffee - in addition to being kiddy cough syrup.

This is pure silliness.

[Lizard]

I have been sitting all afternoon cussing and yelling while wrapping presents. Why because Art is an idiot and then he says I'm a scrooge and adds to say no your stages way past scrooge. So I knew someone would post something hiliarious so I could LMFAO and I thank you Lizard for being the one.

Hey, you're quite welcome! Happy I could be of service.

[Death Bed]

The only downside is that kids aren't allowed to eat candy in school either...

[Kitty]

After seeing the title to this thread, I've come up with a GREAT idea for a story! The title would be "The Little Cough Drop Girl," and it would be about this sad little girl out in the snow, selling cough drops for a penny a piece. She would look into the windows of homes around her and see the families all warm and cough-free...

And at the end of the story, she dies. Doesn't that sound like a great story!


It sounds like an awesome story! But, will you give it the ironic twist that she A.) Dies of a terrible cough due to cold or B.) Chokes to death after popping in a cough drop, even though she was forbidden to use them?

[Dakota Valkyrie]

B.) Chokes to death after popping in a cough drop, even though she was forbidden to use them?
She could just as easily choke on one doled out by the school.

[petrina]

why stop at honey?

red wine has been said to be heart beneficial so they may as well let the babes nip off the jug as well.

we could change the story to little champipple girl