The head teacher, Peter Walker, repeatedly asserts that young people whose parents have not agreed to the tests will not be included. And the selected student will have to agree too. This leaves many people wondering what the point of an entirely optional random test is.
Then there is the head's odd choice of language when he describes what will happen following a positive test. He told the BBC: "It's not a question of punishment, it's a question of support. We will decide whether they need counselling, police support or healthcare."
Put like that, it makes support sound rather menacing. Does the local constabulary know that the school will decide whether it will be providing "police support", whatever that is?
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