Should Schools Test Their Students for Nicotine and Drug Use? The New York Times

They question the necessity ofdrug testing in schools, and fear that the testing will infringe on students’ privacy. A program combining prevention, intervention, counseling and a treatment plan synergistically work together to help combat students’ drug use. And when a student tests positive, it’s recommended that schools focus on helping the students deal with their usage rather than punishing them. The Kansas City Star reports that a private Jesuit school has begun testing all of its students for drugs this fall. Administrators at Rockhurst High School determined that testing the entire student population will help them take a stand against drug use and offer help to those already victims of substance abuse. The testing policy was made through a collaboration of faculty, administrators and students.

Again, schools that check their students on drugs demonstrate their concern about the healthy way of life. When students see that administration and teachers care about this problem, they realize that it is important to live in a drug free environment. This concern makes students believe that healthy lifestyle is more important than short-term euphoria caused by drugs. More children will refuse to take drugs and promote this idea among their classmates.

To further protect students, drug K-9s and random drug testing can keep your school drug-free on a consistent basis. Instead of putting up barriers like drug testing, schools should engage students in meaningful activities. In fact, teachers should be able to spot such students based on their behaviour and academic performance.

But schools should not force the children they are teaching to pee in a cup or funnel troubled youth who need help into the life-wrecking school-to-prison pipeline. Lastly, we have to realize that safety and health are much more important than privacy. Given that random tests have the deterrent effect, they prevent the development of serious addictions . An interesting statistic in the United States shows how easily drugs are distributed throughout a student body; specifically in a certain grade. As of 2010, about 30% of 10th-graders used marijuana in the past year. More than two-thirds of 10th graders said they could easily gain access to that drug.

For instance, a large body of research suggests that extracurricular activities decrease the chance of substance abuse among teens. There are currently no federal laws on the books that govern school-based drug testing, though purpose and structure of oxford house there are two Supreme Court Cases that grant public schools the authority to conduct drug testing under certain circumstances. In 1995, the Court ruled that it was legal for schools to randomly test student athletes.

I feel sad to say but many children become victims of drug abuse at school. They want to seem cooler and mature when they smoke marijuana or use methamphetamine. Therefore, dealers make money on students and cause harm to the younger generation. No wonder, there have been many attempts to stop the spread of drugs in schools. Drug testing is a very simple mechanism for examining the human body because there are multiple options of detecting it by supplying urine, hair or simply a breath. These little samples detect many common drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, and heroin.

Persuasive Speech Outline On Drugs

Put up signs on your bulletin board, stating the law and students’ rights. If your school allows any flyers or posters, they cannot bar you from voicing your opinion, even if they don’t agree. As the policy stands now, any parent who does not want their child to be drug tested will be asked to remove their child from the school, and while some parents are contemplating this, most are willing to accept the policy.

• Therefore, drug testing can help the police catch dealers and more solid criminals.
• This policy is not an effective way of combating drug use in schools.
• And it does not address the reasons why kids turn to drugs in the first place.
• Teenage substance abuse is frequently a manifestation of a child’s problematic home life or inability to foster healthy social relations.
• But when concerned parents and faculty turn to testing, it can serve as a way of generating help for the child in need to get treatment and related services.

To begin with, many people think that drug testing in schools should be prohibited because this action violates children’s rights. Drugs are prohibited because they influence our organism inadequately. Others just enjoy themselves but waste too much money on these harmful substances.

Policy Analysis Sample

Therefore, it is reasonable to test students on drug abuse in order to learn about their unfavorable social position. Due to drug testing social services learn about dysfunctional families and difficult children. School districts had adopted some form of a student drug testing program. That same year, federal funding for RSDT programs ended, and yet school districts across the country continue to either expand their existing drug testing programs or implement new ones, using money from their own budgets. The study, The Effectiveness of Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing, examined 7 districts that were awarded grants in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools to implement mandatory-random drug testing programs in their 36 high schools.

Find out who is responsible for the creation and implementation of the policy and who has the power to change it. Talk to your principal, school administrators, teachers, superintendent, guidance counselor, etc., so that you can understand where the policy has originated. In most schools, the policy must be approved by the Board of Education, an elected or appointed group that meets regularly in public. This policy is not an effective way of combating drug use in schools.

At that time, some public high schools began performing drug testing on student athletes – a practice that was already carried out by college and professional sports teams. Testing was also done on Olympic athletes and those competing in major sporting events like the Tour de France. By 2001, USLegal.com cites a report by the New York Times that estimated hundreds of school districts across the country were participating in some form of drug testing. In recent years, schools across the country have been putting much pressure on students — especially high schoolers — to be drug-free. This has been debated repeatedly, but there does not seem to be a right or wrong answer.

The purpose of random drug testing is not so much to catch offenders but to prevent all students fro…

Common drugs tested for include marijuana, cocaine, steroids, opiates and amphetamines. Alcohol is not a substance that can be detected using standard drug testing procedures, since the substance does not stay in the body long enough to show up in test results. Current use of alcohol can be tested by breathalyzers and other testing methods. I believe the concept of mandatory drug testing in secondary school does not help students to tackle their addiction. It will only punish teenage drug users by exposing and shaming them in front of their peers and family.

More recently, the question of drug testing for students has been raised, as some schools have begun to institute random drug testing in high schools and even middle schools. Is drug testing an effective way to keep students “clean” or is it a blatant violation of students’ privacy rights? To check children for drugs, most schools utilize urine-based testing. They randomly choose students and take urine samples to test for the most common teen abused substances like marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, phencyclidine, and opioids. The cost of substance abuse in America’s school systems is great— both financially and morally.

Therefore, more students will reach their goal and build a successful career in future. Drug testing has many positive reactions on sending a powerful message and reducing the percentage of youth drug. I strongly believe that drug testing in schools should be enforced simply because it has proven to be an effective mechanism for detecting drugs.

Your Voice: LGBTQ students have the right to be themselves (short letters)

It’s easy, and confidential – call us to learn about the different teen treatment programs we offer. Multisystemic Therapy is a treatment for at-risk youth that gives them the tools they need to form positive peer relationships and prevent drug use. Discouraging drug use amongst athletes, model students etc. sends a powerful message to the entire tips on how to stop drinking alcohol student body. Parents across the country should not be concerned if their school begins a drug-testing program if it is “properly planned and then implemented,” Professor Huang said. Keep a record of everything that happens pertaining to drug testing in your school. Keep copies of articles, letters, and the actual policy, and have them on hand.

Call or schedule a meeting for a complimentary assessment with a teen treatment expert. The Key Transitions team is dedicated to delivering highly informative content to our audience to help families deal with adolescent issues. Our team writes content based on clinical knowledge, experience and is often supported with evidence.

Student Safety In Schools

That Supreme Court ruling, which allowed for random drug testing on students participating in competitive extracurricular activities, has been interrupted in different ways by different school districts. In some schools, this restricts testing to student athletes – a practice that has now been in place for decades. However, other schools are using the looser translation of the law to test student participating in any type of after-school activity, as a criterion for joining a club or academic team. The practice is also moving into the younger grades, with some middles schools now adopting drug testing procedures along with their feeder high schools.

The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. As many parents and school buspirone buspar officials know, drug abuse is a big problem in many schools, and any way to keep it from getting worse is helpful. Choosing Between the SAT and ACT and How to PrepareTaking the SAT or ACT is a major source of stress for high school students.