School Drug Test

[Kacie_bride]

While we are on the subject today of drugs I thought I would ask about this. How do you feel about public schools drug testing student athletes or those involved in other extracurricular activities?

[Kacie_bride]

I think they should be able to randomly test students involved in school activities. These students should be role models for the other students and they should live up to a higher moral standard. Therefore, they should defiantely not be doing drugs or any other illegal activites.

[ladymelissa]

I tend to think yes. While most of my views are liberal, kids are just too young to make an informed decision and may fall prey to some peer pressure. Also, drugs like steroids are very detrimental to physical development and give them an unfair advantage, making others think that the only way to be good at a sport is to use them. Provided the cost for this is not so outrageous as to take away from other much more needed programs or supplies.

[LaceyinPgh]

Our athletes get tested. I know that we are also looking into random testing of any student who joins any extra curricular activity or who applies for a parking permit.

[AngelinLove]

I just think that this is taking it a bit too far. I mean, I guess I can see the justification in it if there is some concrete proof to warrant suspicion of drug use, but I do not agree with randomly testing high school students for drug use.

[LaceyinPgh]

I just think that this is taking it a bit too far. I mean, I guess I can see the justification in it if there is some concrete proof to warrant suspicion of drug use, but I do not agree with randomly testing high school students for drug use.
I am dealing with a heroin and meth epidemic where I work. And I work in a somewhat wealthy and rural district. These are just kids and they are shooting up like they are at Studio 54 in 1978. They get to pee in a cup and if they test positive, they are suspened and have to complete a drug rehab program before they can come back to school.

[Kacie_bride]

I am dealing with a heroin and meth epidemic where I work. And I work in a somewhat wealthy and rural district. These are just kids and they are shooting up like they are at Studio 54 in 1978. They get to pee in a cup and if they test positive, they are suspened and have to complete a drug rehab program before they can come back to school.

From what I have been hearing meth is becoming a problem everywhere, especially with teens and even pre-teens.

[AngelinLove]

Well...if we are gonna start drug testing kids randomly then hell why don't we just start in kindergarten and just continue on through...treat them all like criminals. I just think that it is presumptuous and that if a student is using heroin or meth..you can usually tell...there are signs...and I feel that if there is a legitimate reason to suspect drug usage then it is fine to drug test, but just because is not a good enough reason for me,

[WebLady]

I say sure, why not ... if sports is important to them then maybe the fear of being kicked off will help deter them from doing drugs. Now as far as the drug testing in school in general, I don't know if this helps much. The kids that do drugs usually don't care if they get kicked out of school. But I think alot of this kind of thing starts in the home.

[MOB Karen]

Well...if we are gonna start drug testing kids randomly then hell why don't we just start in kindergarten and just continue on through...treat them all like criminals. I just think that it is presumptuous and that if a student is using heroin or meth..you can usually tell...there are signs...and I feel that if there is a legitimate reason to suspect drug usage then it is fine to drug test, but just because is not a good enough reason for me,

Well, when there is a competition in school, sometimes drugs gives you an advantage that other "clean" kids won't have, so it wouldn't be fair. That's why I think there should be testing.

[CarlosHoney]

I think that schools have no place testing students. I think that that's the parent's business. Doing drugs in high school doesn' t make you immoral, and it doesn't make you a bad person..

There's so much emphasis put on "just say no" and "why do you think they call it dope" that at this point, the DARE program is little more than free advertising. I can say that DH did all kids of things in high school (pot, LSD, extacy, alcohol, coke, mushrooms, etc...) and he went through the DARE program. I never went through that.. Went to private school and researched things for myself, and didn't beguin experimenting with pot until I was 17. Never done hard drugs, either..

That's just my experience. I think that if parents were more open and honest with their kids (My mom talked to me about drugs all the time, shared her experiences, and was pretty blunt about it) then there wouldn't be so many cases of high school sophomores overdosing on herion.

[mariaandmanish]

I think that students who want to join programs should be aware that there could be a drug test and that if they test positive, they will not be permitted to join the program, just like adults have to take drug tests to get a job.

[SoontobeMrsClark07]

When I was in high school they did random drug testing on athletes. They still do it now and nobody has a problem with it. Sure kids have been booted, but they knew about the random drug screening before they even tried out. If they didnt, it was in the athletic contract that they signed before officially joining the athletic program, and its just too **** bad for them for not reading the contract.