Should High School students have drug tests?

Danielle - posted on 07/22/2010

No. It's an invasion of their privacy.

Jenny - posted on 07/17/2010

Let me clarify my stance. I believe selling to minors is criminal which is one reason I believe drugs should be legalised. It is harder for kids to get smokes and booze than drugs. Drug dealers don't give a shit about ID (although some do).



I believe minors using drugs is a health issue. You can not jail a person into sobriety. There is a reason they are using, they need to discover a reason to stop.

Lyndsay - posted on 07/17/2010

Hmm. I don't think so. In my high school, the cops came in with a drug dog (named Snickers, lol) every month at random times and let him have a sniff around. A lot of kids got arrested and/or charged for having a couple of joints in their lockers or whatever. Personally, I don't think possession of a little bit of weed warrants a permanent criminal record. Maybe if the kid is caught selling drugs at school, thats another story... but if he wants to puff one between classes, then its not such a big deal. (Particularly if the kid makes it back to his next class after.)

Meghan - posted on 07/17/2010

NO!!!
How is it the school system's responsibilty?? they should spend the money on better books, smaller class sizes, more field trips...maybe better drug eduaction classes. parents can give their own kids drug tests. I would be pissed off if my son came home and told me the school was drug testing him.

LaCi - posted on 07/16/2010

Although I did look up the red hair thing, it just refers to the color of the hair on the bud. Nothing special about it in itself. Although colored hair is apparently a good thing, I wouldn't know I'm not all that knowledgable about the types of cannabis myself.

LaCi - posted on 07/16/2010

Lol

I love how anyone who has experimented with drugs is now somehow a crackhead.

Fiona - posted on 07/16/2010

Yeh, ok. So drug use is criminal, then leave it to the professions who deal with CRIME not those responsible for education. If a school suspects or even has evidence of a students drug use, then they can contact the police and it can be up to the police, the kids parents and lawyer to organise and deal with consequences of drug testing. Schools are not in the business of law enforcement or criminal detection and prevention (unless it is a police academy har har). They should not be expected to be the parent and guardian for peoples children regarding drug use just because many parents are naive, fearful or ignorant about drugs and substances.



Sure drug education is a role that schools can assume, but drug testing is unnecessary unless there is an established issue and terms have been negotiated between school, student and parent. Just as sex education can be a role assumed by schools, but I would not be okay with random STI tests just in case some students were sexually active and unprotected.

Sharon - posted on 07/16/2010

Drug use among children is CRIMINAL.

One poorly made drug in someones kitchen can kill your child. this is ok with you? Some pot head gets his uppers & downers mixed up and your kid checks out with a heart attack? This is ok with you?

KIDS are not pharmacists. Just because your druggie ass was LUCKY enough to survive someone elses chemistry experiments does not mean everyone will/does. The news is full kids experimenting with drugs and leaving this world to early. There is always some parent standing around saying "but he didn't do drugs." Either he didn't and was experimenting for the first time and died because he was curious/wanted to be cool or he did and the parent was clueless and could have used a hand in IDing his childs problem.

I don't come from a crackhead background and will be no help in guiding my kids through a drug laced highschool beyond "don't do it, kids die from this." There is NO SAFE experimentation with unknown drugs.

Even plain old pot has its dangers. In highschool, my best friend and I snuck off to a party her senior brother was invited to. They had been private schooled all their lives. I watched him smoke his first joint and I watched him freak out. The joint had been laced. With what - I don't know. Later someone told him it was "red haired" whatever the fuck that means. maybe one of the crackheads here can fill me in. I watched an ex-boyfriends' father lose his mind and life with a crackpipe and burnt fingers. He had always smoked pot after work. I never thought a thing about it. He was very cool & mellow and I thought pot was "cool". I watched my pothead best friend drop out of highschool and go nowhere. I heard her dad had to sell his car to pay for some cocaine something or other to save her ass. I kind of tuned the person talking to me out - it was just to painful to hear.

Later a different bestfriend, college degree - bachelors in in psychology/child development type stuff - she was working on her masters/phd - she had goals. Got sidelined. First they talked her into pot, then stronger stuff. I came home from a fun night out to find our apartment had been turned into a nasty sex orgy - naked bodies everywhere. I have no clue how she got that many people into our apartment. I picked my way through, got my jewelry, papers and 2 changes of clothes and left. I tried to wake her to say goodbye, mascara smeared eyes and drool were all I saw. I called 911 in case there were issues and didn't talk to her for 12 years. She's a meth head now. I miss her like crazy and who knows if she's still alive. Her ex-husband said she was into prostitution now to feed her habit.

Screw you all who say pot isn't a gateway drug. I know people now who smoke pot, its all they've ever done. Well, all they've ever done routinely. Most admit to trying other drugs.

A close friend of my daughter - her mother is a recovered meth addict. She looked like a billboard advertisment once upon a time. She went back to school, got an education and has a decent life, but every friggen day is a struggle for her.

No no no no. NEVER. Drugs are not a fucking "health" issue for children. They're criminal.

Jenny - posted on 07/16/2010

I've said it a million times, drug use is a health issue, not a crminal one. I do not want my kid's school to resemble a prison. If i want school to feel like prison, I'll homeschool. If they have reasonable suspicions someone is using or selling then by all means take action. I do not support this at all. We (most of us anywany ha ha) live in North America, we're supposed to represent freedom.

Iris - posted on 07/16/2010

Well, that pretty much makes drug screening useless...

LaCi - posted on 07/16/2010

prescription drugs will typically show up on a drug test. If the kids robotripping or something it should show up as well, to find out precisely what it is they have to send it off. But yes, over the counter meds-cough syrups, anything in the ephedrine family-allergy meds and so on, all the energy/diet pills, more than likely energy drinks, even antibiotics, and certain VITAMINS and supplements will give you a positive.



If you're taking a lot of b vitamins, stop before you take a drug screen.

Rosie - posted on 07/16/2010

you guys bring up another good point about prescription drugs. MANY kids are now abusing these-even over the counter- like cough syrup and such. how are they supposed to test for those?

Joanna - posted on 07/16/2010

I'm not going to get too into this because I see it's getting to be heated already, and I don't have the energy for a heated debate.

I wouldn't oppose if they did the tests, however I do personally think it's the parents' job to watch for their childrens' possible drug use, NOT the school's.

Jane - posted on 07/16/2010

OK, read all the posts and I'm 100% with LaCi on this one! I'm a 51 year old mother of 2 kids (20 and 17) and I was a recreational drug user from 16 through my late 20's...and it wasn't just pot, it was cocaine, uppers/downers...again...I was a 70's kid...it was "sex, drugs and rock n roll" for me...I was the youngest of 3 with my brothers being 5-1/2 and 11 years older than me so I had some influences (LOL). It wasn't until I had children that I decided that drug use was not something I wanted to dabble in any longer.

Marijuana (thc) is the ONLY thing that stays in the systems more than a day or two...30 days is more like it. So, for those that are experimenting with things that are not pot, 9 times out of 10, no drugs will be found in their systems anyway.

Again, I think it's an infringement on their rights. Just because they're kids, doesn't mean they should be treated as criminals. It's entire up to the parents for me on this one.

My son's high school (as well as my daughters when she was in HS) have a no tolerance policy. You will be expelled if caught with drugs...no questions asked. However, there has to be probable cause and the police deal with it...not the school. All the do is call the cops. We've seen it happen...kids get expelled...parents fight it...school says "no tolerance...this is our policy". Kid goes to another school. It works well!!!!

Jane - posted on 07/16/2010

Not OK with it. I think it's an infringement on the fundamental rights of the students.

I was a product of the 70's...I did a LOT of drugs but I also did pretty good in school. Had they tested me, I would probably have been thrown out of school and then what?

My daughter was a cheerleader when she was in high school and my son, who is starting his junior year in the fall plays football. They had to sign contracts stating they would not do drugs or drink and if they are caught doing so or doing ANYTHING unbecoming of their teams, they would be immediately kicked off the squad/team. No drug testing though...it's more of an "on your honor" thing. However, if they sign that and the school said they would do random drug testing, then I would be OK with that because the kid is choosing to play that sport.

I haven't read anyone's answers to this yet so I could be the only one that feels this way....now it's time to read :)

LaCi - posted on 07/16/2010

ADD/ADHD meds would show up as amphetamines or methamphetamines, but with a prescription they would note that in drug test results. If they were really suspicious they can pay extra money to find out exactly what is in the urine, and then they'll no longer be able to afford dry erase markers.

Iris - posted on 07/16/2010

Another thing.
So many kids are on ADD/ADHD drugs and other prescription drugs these days. Wouldn't these drugs interfere with a drug test?

Fiona - posted on 07/16/2010

No, I would not be alright with my kids being routinely checked for drugs at school. Ridiculous for schools to think they have any right to invade a students privacy like that, and equally ridiculous for parents to think it is any responsibility of the schools to monitor their children's recreational activities. A school is responsible for educating children, not for monitoring drug use/abuse among its students. As LaCi pointed out, if the child is obviously intoxicated on school premises during school time, by all means contact the parents and/or the appropriate authorities. If they suspect a child is developing a drug problem, raise the issue with the parents, the people responsible for the child's wellbeing.

Teenagers are likely to experiment with drugs, it happens. Some will make mistakes and it will affect their lives and their schooling, but many will experiment with little carry on effect in their lives. Why should a school drug test and/or school enforced drug education/rehabilitaion program be allowed to increase the affect of experimentation on a child's future regardless of whether they developed a 'problem' or not. Sure, if a kid develops a drug problem that interferes with their education or impacts on their school and other students and they are court ordered or willing to enter into an agreement/contract of regular drug testing as a result, then okay, if they are on a sporting team and required to test for performance enhancing or illicit substances, then okay. But mandatory, across the board, indiscriminate testing that doesn't differentiate between type of substance or regularity of use is just another expense, another bureaucratic nightmare for many schools that already struggle to simply maintain basic literacy and numeracy levels.

I stand on this as I always have, if you want to impose drug testing for students, also impose it for teachers, principals and administrative staff. Police officers should be required to all undergo drug testing. All workplaces, at all levels of staff and management. All politicians, everybody! Sure, the only people who would have a problem with it are those with 'something to hide', but I bet the results would shock a few people at just how many 'users' there are out there at all levels of society.

Iris - posted on 07/16/2010

And Jocelyn, thank you for the "Encouraging"! LOL!!

Iris - posted on 07/16/2010

I'm on the fence on this one. I can see valid points from both sides.

Sharon makes a good point for me, but so does Carol.

When I put this debate in here I was actually waiting to see if anything would come up that would make me lean more towards one side than the other. I think that this is just one of those topics where I can see both sides make very valid points.

Tanya - posted on 07/15/2010

I think that if you are worried about your kids you should go and get an over the counter test. Maybe you should haul them to the doctor and pay for it. I think that it would give parents an excuse to check out.
The kids would figure out a way to beat the test. Drinks that clean the urine. Buying urine or whatever they had to do. How would we make sure they were using their urine someone would have to watch them.

You can not shelter your kids from drugs. The best thing to do is to educate them and get to know their friends. If you are understanding and honest they will tell you if they want to do drugs.

I think a reason a lot of kids move on to harder drugs is because we tell them pot is going to make them crazy. If we were more honest about the fact the most likely nothing bad was going to happen while they were high on pot, but other drugs are trouble maybe they would start believing us.

I tried just about everything you can name in high school. I never hurt myself or anyone else. My parents had no clue, because I wasn't out all night, disrespectful, or in trouble with the cops.

Also if the person does need rehab and is forced to go chances are they are not going to get better, You have to first off realize you have a problem. Then you have to want to do the work to get better.

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

I totally trusted teachers in high school. They also trusted me. One of my teachers used to send me out to feed her cat in the mornings. I'm sure if I was thought of as a filthy lying crackhead, she wouldn't have sent me unattended in her home.



As for parents hating the fact that their kid uses drugs, that doesn't change the fact that when a child is NOT on school property that child is the parents responsibility and not the schools. Schools have absolutely NO business digging into what a student may or may not do after hours. Schools should ONLY be concerned with students during school hours and if they suspect a student is under the influence they can call the proper authorities. They have absolutely no jurisdiction in this area. It's unlawful search. Plain and simple.



My body my choice, my medical privacy, and my time-not the schools. Also, none of my party buddies is addicted to anything, and we've been through quite a bit. So far as I know none of my class was addicted to anything, and a good 85% are college graduates doing just fine now. We ALL engaged in some sort of drug use at some point in time.

Sharon - posted on 07/15/2010

Druggies don't want people to know or frown on the lesser drugs. they're already doing something illegal. I'm supposed to believe them when they say they just started on crack one day? LMAO.

No.

My personal experience trumps the lies of druggies paid for a survey.

Tarnish of trust between a teacher & a student? LMAO. Spare me.

I didn't say that drug testing was a perfect thing, especially as it set up these days. I just think its a good idea. Oh and in my highschool... the dogs walked through the classroom - bookbags on the floor - kids lined up at the opposite wall.

I didn't know a SINGLE pot head in highschool who trusted a teacher - except the teacher who also smoked pot with them. So the "tarnish" thing is just cracking me up.

Frankly - if it were JUST pot - I wouldn't care about the schools identifying the students, so much. But its not. Lets face it. If your kid is huffing, or shooting heroin his "trust" for the school administrators is NIL or he would have gone to someone long ago.

Parents hate facing the fact their kid is a crackhead. They don't want that label on their kid. With that label they'll never get into college - especially if it disrupts their highschool career, like doing steroids to beef up for the football team. Its over. The only way to save face is to sue someone.

Tarnishes students relationships . bawahahahahahaha funny ass shit.

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

"Though it may come as a surprise to many, a quick look at the federal record indicates that the lower federal and state courts once had a history of striking down mass drug testing programs as unreasonable searches and seizures. The courts maintained this tradition until as late as the mid-1980s. Examples of this are numerous and widespread. For instance, in 1986 the United States District Court of Tennessee (Lovvorn v. City of Chattanooga) ruled that the mass urine testing of fire-fighters without individualized "reasonable suspicion" was in violation of the fourth amendment . This decision was handed down despite the State's arguments that it had both a compelling interest in having its fire fighters free from drugs and "the presumption that fire-fighters who [generally] live in the same quarters..., routinely undress in each other's presence, and use common restroom facilities are consequently subject to less of a degree of privacy than are ordinary citizens". Similar past lower court decisions negating mass urinalysis as unconstitutional include: Capua v. City of Plainfield, 643 F. Supp. 1507, 1513-20 (D.N.J. 1986) (testing firefighters at random), Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers v. Board of Ed., 119 A.D. (1986) (testing all probationary teachers), and Jones v. McKenzie, 628 F. Supp. 1500, (D.D.C. 1986) (testing of school bus attendants), rev'd, 833
F.2d 335 (D.C. Cir. 1987).

Around this same time, other lower courts also reviewed several cases regarding the legitimacy of student drug testing. Like the examples listed above, the courts habitually struck these proposed laws down as unconstitutional. In Odenheim v. Carlstadt-East Rutherford Regional School District, a 1985 New Jersey Supreme Court case whose facts bear startling similarities to those in Vernonia, the Court maintained that the school's policy of requiring students to submit urine samples for drug testing violated students' rights to be free from nreasonable search and seizure, their right to due process, and their legitimate expectation of privacy and personal security.

In this example, the regional board of Education had adopted a policy that made urinalysis a necessary part of the state-mandated physical. This policy was implemented as a measure to curb what was perceived to be growing student drug use in the high school. The Board of Education contended that the testing was strictly a "medical procedure" and that "no civil or criminal sanctions [were] imposed in the event of a positive test."
In other words, the defendants argued that the Board of Education had a compelling interest to keep its students drug-free. Therefore, they felt that the incorporation of mandatory student drug testing was an effective preventive measure that overrode the students' constitutional right to
privacy.

The New Jersey Supreme Court, however, disagreed. In its eyes, "urine testing unquestionably violate[d] the reasonable privacy expectations of school children." The Court found that "the raw numbers and percentages of students... [using drugs] as compared with the total student body [28 students tested positive for marijuana out of a population of 520] is not reasonably related...to the circumstances which justified the interference, urinalysis, in the first place."

Another regulation involving students and drug testing was also struck down by the lower courts that same year. In Anable v. Ford (W.D. Ark. July 16, 1985) (unpublished), the court concluded that urine searches were unconstitutional because they do not effectively determine whether an adolescent had violated school rules regarding the use or possession of drugs at school. The court ruled this way because the urinalysis provides no information as to whether any given student had used, possessed, or was under the influence [of drugs] while at school. Citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision (New Jersey v. T.L.O., 469 U.S. 325 [1985]) , the court found no choice other than to rule that urine testing by teachers and educational administrators was inappropriate. The court in this case also deemed student drug testing to be unconstitutional on the inherently invasive nature of urinalysis. Much like the ruling handed down by the New Jersey Supreme Court, the Arkansas Court concluded that the excessive intrusive nature of the test is not justified by its need."


"On November 20, 2003, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down the random, suspicionless drug testing of Delaware Valley School District students participating in extracurricular activities or applying for parking permits. In Theodore v. Delaware Valley School District, the court found that this program violated the privacy protections provided by the Pennsylvania constitution. Justice Ronald D. Castille wrote in the opinion: “The theory apparently is that, even in the absence of any suspicion of drug or alcohol abuse, it is appropriate to single these students out and say, in effect: ‘Choose one: your Pennsylvania constitutional right to privacy or the chess club.’”

In 2002, by a margin of 5 to 4, the U.S. Supreme Court permitted public school districts to drug test students participating in competitive, extracurricular activities, in Pottawatomie v. Earls. In its ruling, however, the court only interpreted federal law. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision highlights the fact that schools also most abide by the often greater protections provided by state constitutions. Furthermore, the Theodore v. Delaware Valley School District decision shows that school districts that implement student drug testing policies may spend years and thousands of taxpayer dollars battling these lawsuits with no guarantee of success. In many states, including Arkansas, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, lawsuits have been filed against school districts for their drug testing policies.

This decision also reaffirms what respectable research and expert opinion agree on: random student drug testing tarnishes the relationships of trust between teachers and students, violates student privacy, may lead students to use more dangerous drugs, does not address the needs of students who have a substance abuse problem, and wastes a school’s scarce financial resources."

Jenny - posted on 07/15/2010

The gateway theory has been debunked. Marijuana is not the cause for using harder drugs but the easiest to access such as caffeine and alcohol. It's like saying kissing is the gateway to sex. Some people have sex without kissing. Many people kiss without having sex.

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

"Laci - your mentality is dangerous and I wouldn't want your kid to play with mine.



Drugs are dangerous and they kill. Kids using drugs kill other kids. If nothing else I want your kid labeled "the recreational drug user" just so I know who to keep my kid away from.



If you're an adult smoking pot - I have no issues with you. If you're a kid trying to copy an adult who mixes speed and downers to medicate their life - I've got worries, big worries.



I'm not talking about rehab for pot. I'm thinking of heavier drugs. But I don't want pot in the highschool either. Because I believe it is a gateway drug. Not everyone who does pot moves on to harder drugs but everyone I know who moved on to harder drugs started with pot."



How is my mentality dangerous? I don't even so much as take tylenol. As far as the drug tests go, the pass/fail determination wouldn't be public knowledge. That's confidential information. So I'm not sure why you think my 2 year old would be labeled a recreational drug user. Kids have counselors, if they want to talk to counselors they have that option. Maybe even mandating that the student meet with counselors is a better idea, but NOT across the board testing for students who cause no problems whatsoever. Thats ridiculous. What I do in MY time is MY business, not my schools. As for harder drugs, they don't stay in one's system long and testing would be worthless. It's unlawful, it's against my personal rights to have what is essentially medical information released to anyone who isn't my personal doctor when I've been convicted of no crimes, have caused no problems, and have the complete right to my privacy. If a job wants to drug test, that fine because you have the option of not working there. When it comes to schools, most children do NOT have the option of going to a different school, they're stuck with the public school in their community. It's ridiculous.



Not a single person I know has harmed anyone while under the influence, because you never hear about people like us and no one talks about people like us. We aren't very interesting and we don't light fires under debates. Kids experiment, and if they don't in high school they likely will in college. Mandatory drug tests in institutions we have no choice but to be involved in are wrong.

Jessica - posted on 07/15/2010

This is a tough one. A small part of me wants to say yes they should do it. I knew too many kids who were high on one thing or another all the time, and their parents either didn't care or didn't know.

But the bigger part of me is against it, for the reasons others have already stated. Its a rights violation, it gives them too much power. What I remember of high school was not having many rights to begin with, and to force every student to have routine drug tests would be pushing that too far I think.

Sharon - posted on 07/15/2010

Laci - your mentality is dangerous and I wouldn't want your kid to play with mine.



Drugs are dangerous and they kill. Kids using drugs kill other kids. If nothing else I want your kid labeled "the recreational drug user" just so I know who to keep my kid away from.



If you're an adult smoking pot - I have no issues with you. If you're a kid trying to copy an adult who mixes speed and downers to medicate their life - I've got worries, big worries.



I'm not talking about rehab for pot. I'm thinking of heavier drugs. But I don't want pot in the highschool either. Because I believe it is a gateway drug. Not everyone who does pot moves on to harder drugs but everyone I know who moved on to harder drugs started with pot.

Jocelyn - posted on 07/15/2010

I don't have time for a long answer, but in short, No. I did my best writing while stoned. Serious.
And oops Iris, my LO just rated your question encouraging lol.

Jenny - posted on 07/15/2010

I got suspended for a week in Grade 9 for smoking pot. Thankfully, no rehab recommended as it was not neccessary for an otherwise well rounded straight A student. I had to meet with the Superintendent of our district and he didn't really seem to care. He have his quick speal and I was out the door. I guess things are a little more PC these days, sadly, and that was only in '93.

Jaime - posted on 07/15/2010

I think it's the school's responsibility to help educate kids about drugs and drug use...the harsh consequences and so on...but not routine drug testing. Many of us advocate for comprehensive sex education but we're not relying on the school to do routine std screens, pregnancy tests or pap smears.

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

But why does everyone assume if you fail a drug test you need rehab or counseling?

Here's the truth about drugs, we don't always do them because there is some *problem* that needs to be addressed. We do them for fun. It's highly entertaining. Its recreational.

Lea - posted on 07/15/2010

Maybe not kicking them out, or getting in trouble, maybe get into counseling or treatment?

Dominique - posted on 07/15/2010

I sure would be. I'm 20 years old and I know all to well about the teenagers that do drugs on a constant bases. Some even do it on school premises during lunch. They should do it.

Rosie - posted on 07/15/2010

i guess my problem with it is i wouldn't want to have my taxes go for this. i'd be more happy about it if there were probable cause, and THEN test them or check their locker. not to keen on random routine tests though.

Andrea - posted on 07/15/2010

The school I went to only tested student that were playing sports ( extra curricular activities). If the failed they were not aloud to play that season. It didn't effect school it self. My school use to bring in drug dog also. We would be locked down in are class room as they took the dogs threw the school. As far as my opinion on it, it's a toss up. I can see it from both side for all the reason stated above. I lived in a small town one stop light there wasn't nothing to do but party's. So yes I did stuff and it end as soon as I graduated. Most of the kids I went to school with did to. I can see some of them it would have help because their parent would have done something about, but there's other can see would have ended up dropping out if it met that they were going to get in trouble for it at school. Mainly the kids parent that didn't care what they did care they do.

Marabeth - posted on 07/15/2010

personally i'd rather they spend the money on music, art or other programs that would be more likely to keep students from boredom (which is what leads to drugs anyways). behaving out of fear never works.

Johnny - posted on 07/15/2010

No, I really don't like the sort of rights violation and behavioral implication message that it sends. Basically, you are telling kids that you suspect them of doing bad things, even if there is no evidence that they have done so. A majority of kids in schools aren't doing drugs, to me, it just tells them that adults think that all kids are drug users and crooks. Nice message. Not to mention that it violates their rights. They legally must attend school so they are put into a position where they must submit to drug testing. If they were to refuse because they felt it was a violation, they would immediately be suspected of drug use, without any other evidence.

I would not agree to having my child tested for drugs unless she agreed as well. If there was other evidence that she was using, I would intervene and get her into a program. I think that there are a lot of better ways to encourage kids not to use drugs than taking away their civil rights. I am fairly certain that you could not do this legally here in Canada though.

Hannah - posted on 07/15/2010

I think it is a good idea. I do think that it should be something that can only be done with parental permission. I parent must sign a waiver at the beginning of the year that would allow the school to test if they suspected drug use or if they suspect drug use, contact the parent and ask if they can do a test.

Some parents are so clueless to what their kids are doing and it may be beneficial if the school lets the parent know that they suspect their child of doing drugs. I think it could save more kids from becoming addicts later on in life.

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

My school enjoyed bringing drug dogs in every so often, but we were all locked in the classrooms while they did lockers searches. They never found anything; no one was ever dumb enough to leave their supply in their locker. Really though, drug searches and drug testing are WAY different. A drug test shows nothing, it's not a crime to fail a drug test and it doesn't necessarily go hand in hand with possession charges. They can't enforce anything from a failed drug test- unless the student is already on probation- except violation of some school rule which would probably end in a lot of expulsions. What else would they do with their information? Call my parents? Oh no..

I partied hard, maintained my grades, was a close second in mandatory test scores, and graduated as early as state laws allowed to end the monotony. So what business is it of theirs if I smoke weed outside those walls? None.

I would imagine this would also end up being random drug testing, in which schools would end up trying use the testing to eliminate the less desirable students.

Amie - posted on 07/15/2010

I agree with it. For reasons Sharon stated.



My HS had a drug policy. They also knew which students to watch. I knew people who had gotten caught, because they were stupid enough to get high at school. The school routinely had teachers wandering the halls and grounds to check for problem students. They got caught, police were called, parents were called and the students were suspended.



They still got to continue on with their schooling, alongside their charges for possession from the police. The police carried out the search of their lockers I believe, though it may have been the teachers, it was a long time ago. They were not allowed to search their bodies though, they were minors. Their parents had no such qualms, they ripped through all their things from what I was told.



I was never caught, I knew to keep it away from school. For kids like me, the policy wasn't that affective, for the harder users who had a lackluster attitude about it all. It helped some of them. Most of them graduated. Some of them still use drugs to this day too though. Not all but some.



I knew which teachers got high too. lol Not so surprisingly they've never been caught. They all keep it away from school to their parties on the weekends. I know that too because they have kids my age who I went to school with.

Cathy - posted on 07/15/2010

I don't object for the reasons Sharon stated.

I do however think it's a waste of money though for what may only be a minority of students. Surely they could it invest it better.

Tanya - posted on 07/15/2010

No I am against it. I don't think that forcing people in to rehab is going to work anyway.

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

I disagree. Rehab for- more than likely marijuana- seems ridiculous to me. The harder drugs only stay in your system for roughly 2 days, I don't think the vast majority of kids need rehab or counseling because they're curious or because they like to party on the weekends.

Wasted resources, IMO. I remember teachers having to repeatedly go through basic grammar in high school because people just didn't pay attention, I remember a girl asking "who was hitler?" in a junior history course, my extracurriculars are much less important than what is apparently a failing educational system.

Maybe they should devote those resources into more AP and refresher courses so the students who are behind don't give up and party all the time and those of us who are bored out of our minds don't feel the desire to eat mushrooms on our lunch break.

Holly - posted on 07/15/2010

I'll just say that I agree with everything Sharron said. I couldn't have put it better myself :)

Kelly - posted on 07/15/2010

Sharon, I was going to agree with everyone and say I would oppose it, but you had some very good points.

I still don't think it is necessary, but I wouldn't mind if they started doing it here, as long as the children's academic careers are protected and they give the addicted (or experimental) teens proper counseling and rehab options.

Sharon - posted on 07/15/2010

Yes I'm fine with it.

The only people who would hate this are those with something to hide. Even if it is a legitimate prescription.

Being caught with a controlled substance shouldn't stop your education though. I'm thinking a special school and drug counseling or substance abuse.

How many kids could be saved if caught early? How many clueless parents have gotten lucky and how many times do you read "my son didnt do drugs, this is someone elses fault"?

That said... I probably would have been in big trouble in highschool. I drank. Not a lot. I was never smashed but a lemon flavored winecooler kept me loose and happy all day long. Everyone thought it was a drink from the convenience store. Highschool was sooooo friggen stressful. But maybe some of my stresses would have been addressed and the coolers done away with?

On top of that, I tried to befriend a new girl. Invited her to lunch with me. We went to a nearby sandwich shop and I left my food & dink with her while I went to get napkins. came back ate & drank, her conversation was fairly boring.

2 hours later I"m in church having a bad trip due to the acid she dropped in my milk.

If your kid is doing real drugs - then whatever the school & authorities do isn't going to affect his schoolwork. He's already doing that to himself.

Savanna Redding was the target of morons. Drug testing is supposed to be looking for controlled substances, not midol or advil. I don't even share advil at work until my manager ok's it. The last thing I need is for someone to see me passing pills to someone else. I frequently buy lunch for others or starbucks and if we're both standing at the lockers - they'll pay me back... so handing over pills, taking cash - it doesn't look good. I do leave the pill container in plain site on top of my lunch cooler though. anyone can help themselves. its advil or aleve for gods sake. This way my boss can have a peek in, after we've gone to see what was in the container. Or hell... take it and send it off to be tested.

Yes, I'm fine with drug testing in highschool.

Tara - posted on 07/15/2010

Nope, it's too fascist for my liking. They are students not criminals.
If there is suspicion that students are doing drugs than I think it should be dealt with first through the parents. I don't think it's right to allow school authorities the power to search, test or seize. They are educators not dictators or guards or wardens.
Kids try and experiment with drugs and alcohol. Parents need to teach their children to make good sensible choices. And it's not a matter of saying "don't do drugs".
It's talking to them about specific drugs, giving them the information that they need to make choices. Telling them that all drugs are bad without going through each drug is doing them a disservice, they don't know what to expect and that makes the allure of drugs even more tempting.
Open dialogue is the key, keeping in touch with your child and making sure they know you will listen to them is so important when it comes to drugs, sex and alcohol.
Tara

ME - posted on 07/15/2010

I wouldn't have been able to tell you were to get drugs in high school if you paid me a million bucks...I don't think this is necessary...If the school suspects something, they should talk privately to the parents, and the parents can decide what to do from there...

LaCi - posted on 07/15/2010

I think most of my favorite teachers were high ;x



And they certainly knew I was.