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

oh, if its about steroids than I agree. Being amped up on steroids is not fair to the other contestants in the game. But yeah, do drug tests )the other drugs)on the faculty and see how they explain how they can be both on drugs and effective at their jobs or within society. Authority figures calling the kettle black. However, since the topic is about steroid use I should limit the conversation to just that.

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
However, since the topic is about steroid use I should limit the conversation to just that.

No is not.

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.

For regular students also, Randomly means that they will spot chose who and who not to test.

I find that also kind of profiling and can become racial too.

Originally posted by Mouth
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?

You are proposing replacing millions of parents with a "dysfunctional government" because the parents arent providing a decent role model for their kids. Surely you are not being serious in suggesting that the political hacks running our government are a decent role model for anyone, let alone kids.

If random drug testing is so damn good, come back and sell me this manure when the congress, judiciary and the executive branches of government are subjected to the same laws they wish to impose on others. Without any doubt intoxicated politicians are a greater danger to americans that high school teens.
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Good point df1, testing for everyone, if anyone.
The testing is just for steroids, just like homeland security is just for terrorist!
The only drug use will be for the gazillions of kids on behavioural drugs, that way everyone profitsl.

I think there should be cameras in all public places and our homes, bar codes on our foreheads for proper and thorough record keeping so that all our purchases and travels can be properly documented, the populace should be disarmed, and we should all be drug tested regularly in order to be able to purchase food and gain employment. Only coporations and wealthy individuals should have the rights to privacy as privacy of the general populace is a threat to the safety and well being of the State.

it's not! sweet cause I gots plenty to say about drug testing. Schools shouldn't do it, jobs shouldn't either unless you're working with some pretty dangerous stuff. Really though they don't really cut into a large portion of the populations lives, so it should be a non-issue. It's an infringemnet clear and simple, black and white. And again the people doing the testing should expect retaliation for upsetting the smooth flow of other peoples lives. Drug dealers have more funding than the police and more reason to protect themselves. Backlash from things like this in urban areas can end up unfairly for the dogs, maybe not so unfair for the police. It's people sticking their noses where it really doesn't belong. Besides it seems like a stupid way to jepordize the police for such small gains, that will ultimatly proove futile.

Drug testing should be contingent on parental notification and probable cause. There may be other considerations due to the nature of the academic environment and the schools being public.

The problem for schools is that parents don't do what they are supposed to do and the schools have to deal with the behavior. If parents were responsible for their children, as they are supposed to be, schools would be a lot more like they were when I went to school and a lot less like battlefields.

In an age when school systems require their own police departments, we truly aren't in Kansas, anymore.

gradyphilpott you are so right. Parents need to step up and go back to raising their kids. This brings up an issue to me. Kids having kids, or young adults for that matter. Parents that decide to have kids although they can't really afford to are ruining their kids potential to grow. Parents just aren't responsible when they think for themselves and not the child soon to be born. It's selfish. These parents don't really give a crap what their kids do or how they are progressivly becoming more ond more pathalogical as they grow older in school, mainly because nobody is raising them. It's sad and it pisses me off. I really can't stand to see a parent who refuses to watch over their kids properly when say out in public because they are so caught up in their own immature selfish world. Grow up people before you start having kids, or the kids will suffer greatly. Fix that issue and kids don't act up, they don't abuse (although they may use) drugs, and they don't become violent street thugs because they weren't really loved while growing up.

Originally posted by Techsnow
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.

This is an important factor to consider. Marijuana stays in the system much longer than many other 'harder' drugs.

Teens are looking for a buzz/experience if it's not weed it'll be something that doesn't stay in the system long (coc aine, amphetamines/methamphetamines, MDMA, oxycodone (opiates/opiods), etc.)


Where's the money going to be coming from?

How 'random' will testing be?

What percentage of students will this hurt? It may prevent students from after-school activities, maybe even increase drop-out numbers.

Originally posted by twitchy
I think there should be cameras in all public places and our homes, bar codes on our foreheads for proper and thorough record keeping so that all our purchases and travels can be properly documented, the populace should be disarmed, and we should all be drug tested regularly in order to be able to purchase food and gain employment. Only coporations and wealthy individuals should have the rights to privacy as privacy of the general populace is a threat to the safety and well being of the State.

There you go. That would make the sheep happy.
End of story.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Drug testing should be contingent on parental notification and probable cause.

Parental notification? It seems to me that you are confused, government is intended to be the servant of the people, not vice versa. Parental authorization seems more appropriate for anything of this order.

The problem for schools is that parents don't do what they are supposed to do and the schools have to deal with the behavior.

The problem for parents is that schools don't do what they are supposed to do and the parents have to deal with the behavior. Everybody has been brainwashed into believing the parents are the problem with kids today, when in fact the problem is in the school system. It is a more reasonable to conclude that we have a problems with the government run school system rather than a problem with millions of parents.

In an age when school systems require their own police departments, we truly aren't in Kansas, anymore.

Schools do not require police departments and they do not require metal detectors. The schools need to start failing students that fail and remove those that fail repeatedly from the classroom rather than allowing those fail to corrupt the remaining students. Grady, Im really shocked to find you as part of the "chicken little", anti-parent crowd.
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If the kids are clean they have nothing to worry about right.

Originally posted by corsig
If the kids are clean they have nothing to worry about right.

Is not about who is clean and who is not, or which parents are good and which ones are not.

Is the issue of a state funded institution getting into the matters of parents and children.

This is another way of the state taking the role of parenting.

The issue that will be random can become a problem if parents feel that a particular group is tagged more often than another.

ya, i read that article...i think its crap. Cutting kids out of extracurricular activities is a horrible idea. If your on drugs, wouldn't not having anything to do after school just give you more time to do that? In my personal opinion, it would almost be a better idea to force kids to do something after school. but you see, that would also suck greatly. that would go over worse than drug testing is now. now don't get me wrong, im not condoning drug testing, just the opposite, its degrating...no one wants to explain to their parents that they had to give a urine sample today at school. you see, if they had any reason to suspect a person of being on drugs, it would be a totally different situation. Letting them get away with it would be endangering the other students. But if you take a strait-A honor student, involved in like 14 different e.c. activities, what would be the point of drug testing them without suspision of them being on drugs? its stupid, and pointless. but thats just my opinion

A High School nearby me just begun the Random Drug Testing thing...

This is about how its done:

Every student involved in extra curricular activities or that drives to school on their own signs a form that gives the school permission to test them. Those that dont agree to that dont get to participate in the activities, or purchase a parking permit from the school.

The purpose of the test isnt to punish, but help. All of the students that test positive have their parents notified, and are from then on tested regularly. They arent in any way punished by the school after the first time. They only begun getting punished after their tests continue to show up positive.

My personal opinion...

Im not sure. I have nothing against helping students stay healthy.. But like others have stated, I'm sick and tired of schools raising kids.

Originally posted by Vheissu2112
The purpose of the test isnt to punish, but help.

The purpose of drug testing students is to indoctrinate, so that as adults they are obedient to the whims of government. The most feared words on the planet earth are, "I'm from the US government and I'm here to help".

But like others have stated, I'm sick and tired of schools raising kids.

You don't want schools raising kids, but you are more than willing to give schools more power over the raising of kids via drug testing. It must take a lot of rationalization on your part to convince even yourself that this makes any logical sense.

[edit on 17-9-2006 by df1]

I'm all for random drug testing in schools because not all parents and their children know how to talk about drugs, alcohol or sex.

I have a child and we do talk but there are kids out there that can't or won't talk to their parents, guardians or teachers.

I agree that some parents do leave the upbring of their children to schools etc but not ALL parents do this.

Maybe if one parent stayed home while one worked then there'd be less of a chance of children falling prey to drug dealers, but children left to their own devices and left to drag themselves up are bound to get into trouble.

Maybe governments should bring in mandatory one worker parent ONLY.

As for single parents then the government should pay for that parent to stay at home to look after his/her child/ren until the child/ren has left school.

IMHO when both parents work the child/ren are being neglected.

Originally posted by df1

Originally posted by Vheissu2112
The purpose of the test isnt to punish, but help.

The purpose of drug testing students is to indoctrinate, so that as adults they are obedient to the whims of government. The most feared words on the planet earth are, "I'm from the US government and I'm here to help".

But like others have stated, I'm sick and tired of schools raising kids.

You don't want schools raising kids, but you are more than willing to give schools more power over the raising of kids via drug testing. It must take a lot of rationalization on your part to convince even yourself that this makes any logical sense.

[edit on 17-9-2006 by df1]

I never once said I agree with it. I said thats what my area high school is doing... And thats the way they are putting everything...

That is just plioan WRONG!

Bye randomly testing ALL students, their is a Legal presumption that the students are guilty of some crime.

Once you are guilty of a crime, you lose your rights and can have most anything forced on you.

As for a parent wanting to know about their child, that is also a different issue.
As a parent, you can have your child drug tested or whatever, HOWEVER, take responsibility for YOUR child and do it yourself.

Don't try to make the school system raise your chhild-THAT IS YOUR JOB!!!!!!!!!

For all those who support this draconian BS, how would you like to be randomly drug tested when driving down the street or when walking into a store. OH, wiat, that not fair and it is illegal!!!!....get the point.

NOBODY wants to be randomly harrassed by the goverment-NO ONE!!!

As a student in extra curricular activities, I do feel it is wrong. Many other students who are half in my shoes would say 'Kiss my ass' though. I'm a band member, but I'm not going to be tested because I have jazz ensemble as a class. I'm getting off the hook free, but at the same time, I'm looking at all the athletes and going more than half the teams will be gone. I do drink and occasionally smoke. And I've done worse in my past, but I duly admit that having something to do will keep us experimenting. I mean seriously, woudl you rather having a drinking basketball player or a coked up ex- basketball player? Plus if you're going to test, then test all, not just those outside of the classes -.-