Drug Testing In High Schools... What Do You Think?

Kansas school district steps up student drug testing

Random drug testing of student athletes has become as routine as study hall and lunch at many high schools across the country. But this factory town outside Wichita is taking testing to the extreme.

It is instituting random drug screening for all middle and high school students participating in -- or even just attending -- any extracurricular activity. That includes sports, clubs, field trips, driver's education, even school plays.

Those who don't sign consent forms cannot attend games, go to school dances, join a club or so much as park their car on school property.

www.cnn.com...

A 2002 Supreme Court ruling opened the door to drug-testing of athletes, and the federal government has promoted drug testing, awarding $7.5 million in grants last year to help schools start such programs.

The White House drug-policy office estimates 2,000 public and private districts conduct drug tests. The National School Boards Association has reported that 5 percent of public school districts test athletes and 2 percent test students involved in extracurricular activities.

So, what's your take on this? I know a few will come here and say just more "rights" being taken away, but I don't see it that way.

I'm the father of a 14 year old, and if they want to random test her, I'm all for it.
I also agree that if a student tests positive, no sports or other activities. If my daughter is into something illegal and dangerous, I want to know about it. I really don't care how I find out.

mod edit to use "ex" tags instead of "quote" tags
Quote Reference.

[edit on 14-9-2006 by sanctum]

I totaly agree with this however

Being a teen myself i know how we would react there would be pandamonduim in school , espicly from teens not wanting to get caught with stuff in there system....like me.. i do do some illegal substances and drink , and i would not let one goverment tester even near me let alone get me to take a urine test

thinking about it i would go to extreme lengths and thinking even more iam abit scared of what other more lets just say "bad apples" would do

well first of all what would the testing do? it would prove what we already know. most of the kids are being kids and getting high, drinking, and smoking. and how would excluding the them extra ciricular activiies help? so they would have nothing to do but hang out and get high! it does not solve the problem. if parents are at the point where they have to rely on the authorities to inform them of what their kids are up to, then how good of a job are the parents doing to be part of the kids lives? and what kind of guidance and support are these parents giving to their children?

What do I think? I think it should be against the law. If parents want to know whether their kids are taking drugs they should have them tested. Since when is it the school's (read government's) responsibility to monitor our kids' behavior?

I'm sick of the responsibilities that the schools are taking because the parents don't. Parents should be teaching the kids about sex, religion, nutrition, etc. Not the schools. I can't believe how people turn over the care and raising of their children to the government! The schools are also doing mental health screening... Wonder what they're looking for?

This does not bode well for a secure future.

I agree with BH is not the school, government or any other agency to take the job of a parent or guardian over minors.

Is a parent/guardian responsibility to take care of the children in their charge. What is next foster care for minors that test positive? because of parenthood irresponsibility?

Why would they smoke marijuana if they have to take piss tests? They wont.
But the truth is drugs are a mystery and every teen thinks about trying them.
The truth is methamphetamine is everywhere in the U.S.?
The fact is methamphetamine does not show up in piss tests.
Will this just make more teens say no to marijuana and maybe to meth?
Probably so.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
What do I think? I think it should be against the law. If parents want to know whether their kids are taking drugs they should have them tested. Since when is it the school's (read government's) responsibility to monitor our kids' behavior?

I'm sick of the responsibilities that the schools are taking because the parents don't. Parents should be teaching the kids about sex, religion, nutrition, etc. Not the schools. I can't believe how people turn over the care and raising of their children to the government! The schools are also doing mental health screening... Wonder what they're looking for?

This does not bode well for a secure future.

I completely agree, I think the government should have no part in the teaching of life lessons to kids. Sex, Drugs, Religon, and everything else is the parents responsibility to teach to their children, not the government.

Parents are so damn lazy these days that they let other people make decisons for their kids instead of them and in many cases can't figure out a childs specific acedmic needs and send him in to get tested for a learning disability. I was put on Ritilin for 2 years untill my mom realized the only problem was the classes were not challenging enough and I was bored..


Anyway

Parents... grow up

Kids...keep smokin

Teachers.. Do your job and teach kids what your paid or should only be paid to do

math english ect ect ect

[edit on 14-9-2006 by Toodat]

Kansas what a great place. NOT! I am going to do something i have not done before. I will write this whole post with out speel check. Lets see my first school day in kidngarden. The teacher desided that she did not like me asking her question, so what dose she do? she pulls me behind her desk and starts to stomp on me. then leves me there crying. when i got home my mom asked what happen to me and i told her. the next day she took me to scholl and ask my teacher what happen. when miss barfoot told her she steped on me by acadent. then my mom said then why is her whole body covered in heel marks? she said oh i did it more then once. thats when my mom began to beat her to the ground. when the princeable came and asked what happen she told him she acadently walked on her like she did me.From then on instead of teaching me anything she put me in the hall. To sit and do nothing. this happen to my up to 5th grade. then we moved to another school districk. where i met miss o'flarity she was the best teacher ever if it was not for her i would not beable to read , write or do math. sadly she did not stay my teacher, she got married and move to florada. so i never got the leasons on how to speel.

Spell Check on now.
I hope you all can see how bad the kansas school system really is. This is just another way to not teach. When they started putting my son in the hall. I pulled him out of kansas for good. I would not let them do to him what they did to me. Now both my sons can read, write and SPELL. If I would have left them in that state they would be just like me. This I have no dought of.

So no I do not think that is is a good idea. If you need the schools to find out that you kid is on drugs. Your not doing a very good job as a parent. I know where my kids are at all times, I know who their friends are and their parents . I Go to their friends homes and meet with their parents and ask them questions like do you own a gun? , is this gun locked up?(this inclueds BB guns), do you drink?, is this the alcohol locked up? I tell the parent what my rules are. And ask them if they can follow them. If they can't then my kids do go there.

I don't need the state to help me be a parent, and I don't want my kids privacy invaded.

I agree with marge and BH.

If the child is not behaving or acting in a way that would cause suspicion, then obviously the parents should be notified. It should be up to the parents to determine whether their minor be subjected to a drug test. The responsibility should lie with the parents alone. If they sign a waver at the beginning of the school year then they should be notified before any testing and should know the results of the test.
Schools are meant to teach the lesson plans. Anything else is the job of the parent.

I'm against it for several reasons. First, I dare say I'm somewhat of a liberal. I believe our constitution provides for unreasonable search and seizure of persons and property by our government. I think that high schoolers, middle schoolers, and any child in the USA should be subject to the same rules, laws and protections thereof as any adult. Would it be acceptable for someone to randomly drug test me while I am standing in line at McDondalds?

And are they serious that they are going to test all the children who are attending events, dances and field trips. I wonder if this is done a couple times a year or before each event. What is this costing the school system? What is it really preventing? I like how it is called random but targets pretty much every student that will be attending the school.

I like your comment that as a father of a 14 year old you are in total support of random testing of your child. Because it should be a parental decision, not a school administrator's decision. The school system should be allowed to test someone when there is a reason to believe that the child is under the influence of a drug; and then it should be up to the local law enforcement to investigate.

As a parent (of a 5 year old .. not quite facing these issues yet!) ... I would like to think I would allow my teenaged child to make their own decision regarding this issue. If they felt it was worth submitting to a test to attend a dance than okay but if they felt it was an invasion of privacy I would allow them to take drive training privately and skip any school functions they wished.

Originally posted by elevatedone
Kansas school district steps up student drug testing

Random drug testing of student athletes has become as routine as study hall and lunch at many high schools across the country. But this factory town outside Wichita is taking testing to the extreme.

It is instituting random drug screening for all middle and high school students participating in -- or even just attending -- any extracurricular activity. That includes sports, clubs, field trips, driver's education, even school plays.

Those who don't sign consent forms cannot attend games, go to school dances, join a club or so much as park their car on school property.

www.cnn.com...

A 2002 Supreme Court ruling opened the door to drug-testing of athletes, and the federal government has promoted drug testing, awarding $7.5 million in grants last year to help schools start such programs.

The White House drug-policy office estimates 2,000 public and private districts conduct drug tests. The National School Boards Association has reported that 5 percent of public school districts test athletes and 2 percent test students involved in extracurricular activities.

So, what's your take on this? I know a few will come here and say just more "rights" being taken away, but I don't see it that way.

I'm the father of a 14 year old, and if they want to random test her, I'm all for it.
I also agree that if a student tests positive, no sports or other activities. If my daughter is into something illegal and dangerous, I want to know about it. I really don't care how I find out.

SmallMindsBigIdeas

Good point, our school systems is in terrible conditions because lack of funds, but is going to be money to do test, I wonder who is paying the bill.

Something that I see is the compliance of the people to this type of assaults on children.

I guess that we have become a society that have been manipulated to whatever the state or the federal government dictate.

And people still do no believe that people rights are been corroded.

Start with the children and they will become the willing adults.

Drug-testing for students involved in extra-curricular sports has been done for years, I'm not sure about that area of Kansas in particular though. I read an article a year or two ago saying that some Aussie univerisities had breathalyzers at the doors in reaction to a bunch of disruptive drunk students.

I graduated highschool back in 1999, and we had blood-tests taken before we were permitted to join the baseball team (I have no idea if other extra-curricular activities mandated this.) They had informed us and our parents that we would be screened randomly and if we tested positive for drugs there would be consequences accordingly. I always thought this was for insurance purposes (don't want a coked-up kid having a heart attack whilst charging for a ball) but after seeing the latest steroids scandals, maybe its not. Now, as a kid in highschool who wasn't at all interested in drugs or cigarettes this was no big deal. As an adult and parent some day, I support the practice entirely, except I'd rather them do it for all students (and teachers! and people that interact with kids) and not just those involved in extra-curriculars.

They're crossing a fine line again. Drug testing may be the norm for athletes, for for every day students, it would be crossing a line and looking for trouble.

So what if a student tests positive? Do they go to the home and arrest the parents? Do they remove the student from the home? Do they incarcerate the parents? Of course! Your children do not belong to you, anyway. And this is just another way to take the kids away from you even if you as a parent dont know of the drug uses and dont use yourself.

This is a line they will cross as we go into the Orwellian era. Everyday, the tide turns more to this new epoch where you know nothing is yours.
The fine lines gets crossed on a daily basis. Thank Bush and his cronies for taking your life and ripping the guts out of it...slowly but surely.

Even if your child isnt using anything it is conditioning them that they must answer to this government and government agencies in every facet of their lives. their body isnt theirs, not to choose what could be right for them either.I guess this applies to abortion and other treatments or choice of medication.

This is an infrigment in our rights. It is not for anyones GOOD.

definantly crosses the line. Not their or the governments right in my opinion, especially when some of the drugs the kids are taking are less dangerous, disruptive or damaging as half the stuff they're forced to take legally. Also, it puts undo danger on to the canine unit patrolling the school, as the kids in LA at least are not shy about taking out the dog or the officer, it's happened before. seriously some of these kids are as established as any organized crime ring when they are moving weight and do intimidate the officers away altogether alot of the times. Dogs should be used to sniff out bombs and to rescue people not betray them,even kids-it sends the wrong message anyway.

It's just more of the insane philosophy that parents have no rights in the upbringing of thier own children. The state is in charge of every aspect of child rearing, from disipline, to mental health eval's & determinations, and now to bodily fluids.

The most detrimental thing in my opinion is that the kids who are active in school activities but smoked some weed will be outcast from the activities and will become non-active and that will tend to send them farther into the arms of drug use, as they no longer have the activities to keep them busy. Instead of smoking a joint of Saturday night they will have plenty more time on their hands to engage in less healthy behaviour as they no longer are fit to participate.

If their is a problem with their behaviour while participating in the "activities" at school, then address the matter with the parents.

Do not create a worse problem by kicking them out of the club and labeling them as delinquent druggies or chances are they will become so.

Right on Interestedalways! The war on drugs has caused more harm than good. The war has invented new classes of crimes that never existed before and all to protect greedy lobbyists agendas. I know kids that were smoking weed in high school went strait to universities like Brown and then graduated with honors and went on to live very productive( like six figures) lives. I even know a kid with an IQ of 190 who smoke only the "best" everyday, never lost an IQ point, even when under the influence, and then went on to work for UCLA then Sandia Labs as a physist, researching plasma dynamics. Kids should not be made to feel like scummy criminals for using something thats been around and used effectivly for about 5,000 years. Kids popping pills should be curtailed by their parents through education of the chemical effects of concentrated medicins entering their body and how it could created an imbalance and not through missguided, ineffective, frankly ignorant fear mongering. If parents and the authorities in general were to adopt a more constructive way of educating their kids regarding this there would be alot less witless pawns enforcing the greedy lobbyist cabuls deningrating normal people.

Originally posted by marg6043
I agree with BH is not the school, government or any other agency to take the job of a parent or guardian over minors.

Is a parent/guardian responsibility to take care of the children in their charge. What is next foster care for minors that test positive? because of parenthood irresponsibility?

You see, the problem with this statement is that many parents don't know how to raise their kids. This (I feel) is a root problem with many cultures today. I personally think it is a good idea to enforce drug testing in high schools, especially for steroids within sports.

Do you know how many disfunctional families there are? Remember that a good portion of marriages do NOT work? How does this provide a good environment for children if they dont even have decent role models?

Let's not forget teenage pregnancy... you are telling me that when people aren't responsible enough to take care of themselves, that they should turn around and then take care of their children?

No. It is a proven fact that parents do not have the upper hand in the battle against drugs. I firmly give the on random drug testing.


Edit: Also, this is not going to be MASS drug testing of all students. remember that. The plan is to randomly test 5% of the students in the major sports (i.e. football, baseball, basketball). I heard about this on the way to work on ESPN radio.

[edit on 15/9/06 by Mouth]

If there is going to be drug testing of anykind; test all the teachers, coaches, school administration, staff, janitors, schoolboard members, principals, school nurses, bus drivers etc. NO preferential treatment!! Why just single out the students.

Post all DWI/DUI offences. Spousal abuse, child abuse, infidelities etc. Nothing to hide eh.

I think it is important to note that this drug test is for steroids in sports, not for those "other kinds."

Originally posted by Mouth
Is a parent/guardian responsibility to take care of the children in their charge. What is next foster care for minors that test positive? because of parenthood irresponsibility?

So what do you advocate for, and what solutions you see . . . taking children from parents and put them on foster care? o, I forgot!!!!! what is foster care children are test positive!!!!!!

What next? what is the best idea you got. . . I got it now lets get all the children testing positive from the parents and foster care parents and because is no where to put them lets make detention camps and raised them in there.

What do you feel about that does it work for you.

You see, the problem with this statement is that many parents don't know how to raise their kids.

Hey you may be right about that one, but hey I guess the government will be the best entity right now to raise our children, Right?

Do you know how many disfunctional families there are? Remember that a good portion of marriages do NOT work?

Yes you may be right about that one too, you doing very good!!!!!!!!, so should we get all the children from divorced parents and let the government raise them? what you think.

How does this provide a good environment for children if they dont even have decent role models?

So tell us please who should raise them The government?

Let's not forget teenage pregnancy...

What about that? I got it too, let the government gave the children to religious institutions so they can help raise the children also.

No. It is a proven fact that parents do not have the upper hand in the battle against drugs. I firmly give the

on random drug testing.

Well then you do that to your children if you are not confident enough as a parent and then let the government get into you home and into your privacy and dictate what you should do or not with your own children

I raised two and guess what I was one step ahead of them at all time.

I imagine that you have not children, I am correct?

Will you allowe the government to dictate if you are fit to be a parent or not and then let them tell you if you should procreate or not?

think about that one.

[edit on 15-9-2006 by marg6043]