| Despite the potentially dangerous side-effects of | | | | that are on Ritalin and other medication. They line up |
| Ritalin, some public school authorities now pressure | | | | every day to get their medication in order for them |
| parents to give Ritalin to their children so these kids | | | | to stay in school, and attempt to do their work in a |
| won't "act up" in school. | | | | drug-induced state." |
| Naturally, most parents don't want to drug their | | | | "About 12 months ago we were told to put |
| children just because they are unruly, bored in class, | | | | Christopher on Adderall and that this medication |
| or high-spirited. However, compulsory attendance | | | | would work better and would last longer. The side |
| laws force parents to send their children to public | | | | effects were the same, dehydration, loss of |
| schools. Just as school authorities resort to | | | | appetite, growth limitations and violent mood swings, |
| compulsion to get their students by force, so they | | | | and the fact is that no one knows what the long |
| apply the same compulsion against children and their | | | | term effects on your children's health will be. We did |
| parents to pressure parents into giving Ritalin to their | | | | as the Doctor advised and he has been on Adderall |
| kids. | | | | since." |
| How do schools pressure parents? They threaten to | | | | "Any time Christopher has a bad day in school, the |
| expel the child, hold the child back a grade, put the | | | | teachers want to know if he took his medication for |
| child into a special-education class, or threaten the | | | | the day. You see, once a child is labeled ADD or |
| parents with prosecution for child abuse. | | | | hyperactive, it stays with them, and it's locked in the |
| Here's one parent's story: | | | | teachers' minds. Thus if the child has a problem, it |
| "Hello, my name is Bobby B. [last name withheld for | | | | must be that he/she did not take their medication. I |
| privacy], and that little boy you see above [in a | | | | am sure this goes on in public schools all over this |
| picture in the article] . . . is my pride and joy. The | | | | country and parents like us have no choice or our |
| picture was taken on Halloween when he was 5 | | | | choices are very limited. If you want your child to |
| years old and he was already on Ritalin. He was put | | | | stay in school, Ritalin or Adderall is their solution to |
| on Ritalin because the local school district informed us | | | | any and all behavioral problems." |
| that if we did not put him on medication he would be | | | | Here we have an example of school authorities not |
| removed from school. In fact his first year was a | | | | tolerating normal children who might be having a "bad |
| nightmare from the start." | | | | day" or want to express their anger about |
| "Kindergarten is supposed to be fun and enjoyable | | | | something. As adults, we all have such bad days and |
| for the child. However, Christopher had the teacher | | | | we all get angry occasionally. But because public |
| from hell and she made his life miserable. He could do | | | | schools are like mini-prisons that require "order" and |
| nothing right and at the end of the school year she | | | | "discipline" to function, children are expected to |
| was going to flunk him out of her class. . . . | | | | conform to the rules. They are not allowed to have |
| Christopher's teacher thought he was nothing but | | | | "bad days" or express anger. Hence school authorities |
| trouble, too hyperactive, too hard to manage and | | | | must pressure parents to drug these children to |
| she wanted nothing to do with him. This was the | | | | make them passive. |
| start of our own nightmare and our introduction to | | | | Christopher's horror story is repeated again and again |
| Ritalin and ADD. For the next 8 years our little boy | | | | in public schools across the country. Parents, if public |
| was on this medication because without it he would | | | | school authorities are pressuring you to give your |
| not be allowed to continue in our public school | | | | children mind-altering drugs, alarm bells should be going |
| system. . . ." | | | | off in your head. You should immediately consider |
| "My wife volunteers at the school in the office area | | | | taking your child out of public school and |
| weekly, and she has told me of the hundreds of kids | | | | homeschooling him, for your child's sake. |