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Extra: Adderall & Academic Achievement
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- Adderall abuse isn't just common among college kids hoping to excel academically - it's also prevalent among high school kids who want to be at the top of their class . They are also going to their doctors, including pediatricians, and easily obtaining Adderall prescriptions. What was missing from the piece is what can happen if a kid is caught giving or selling an Adderall to another student, especially at school. My son was a junior, a straight A student in the IB (International Baccalaureate) program, had never been in any trouble in school, and was well liked by students and teachers. Another student asked him for an Adderall (that he had a prescription for) and he gave it to her at school, and was caught by a teacher. Because of the Zero Tolerance Policy, the other student was expelled, my son was arrested (handcuffed and put in a police car in front of the high school), spent 6 days in juvenile, has been charged with a class A felony (the highest felony in Indiana, with a recommended minimum sentence of 20 years in prison). When he was finally released to our custody he was ordered into rehab (one week partial hospitalization, 3 weeks intensive outpatient), spent a month on monitored house arrest (means wore an ankle bracelet) and was expelled from school. In our community, if you're expelled from one high school, no other public or private school will take you. Now my son has no way to complete the IB program, which he had hoped would help him get into an Ivy League school, the charter school options in our area don't offer the sort of curriculum he needs, so he has had to resort to finishing his high school course work online, which is obviously not nearly as rigorous as the IB program. This will have a dramatic impact on his future educational options. Additionally, he hasn't even been to court yet, so is still facing the felony charges, which could have long term repercussions on his entire future. All for giving one pill to one kid one time. I think that's the other side of the story that students and parents need to be aware of. Adderall is a controlled substance and there are serious legal and personal ramifications to getting caught sharing or receiving Adderall that was not prescribed for you. This experience has been a traumatic and costly nightmare for our entire family.
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