Should High School Students be Drug Tested?

Testing can also be done on an individual if substance use is suspected, due to suspicious behavior or actions of the individual. Another option is random testing, which can be done on any individual at any time, without warning. It is the random testing approach that has typically come under fire in public schools today.

Parents will be notified if their child tests positive, and every student who fails a test will be required to enter treatment. Another Orlando private school has announced that they will conduct mandatory drug screening on students in the upcoming school year. Contact us to learn more about prevention and support a teenager in need. The first formal drug testing in the United States took place in New York in the early 1930s. Shortly after the New York lab opened, several of its employees were recruited to build a second drug testing facility in the United States, located in Florida.

Student Drug Testing Is Intrusive, Unnecessary and Ineffective

However, two groups of high school parents filed a lawsuit against a school district’s baseless drug testing policy for children who participate in extracurricular sporting activities. Following the filing of the case, the school district decided to discontinue its practice, thus dismissing the parents’ request for a preliminary injunction. Even though the lawsuit was dismissed alcohol withdrawal scale aws as moot, the Court of Appeals determined that random drug testing of student-athletes does not infringe on any obvious legal or equitable right of students. They cost thousands of dollars and consume a lot of time and effort, leading to other issues. Instead, schools may opt to use their resources on activities that are proven to prevent drug abuse or addiction.

Draconian, Big Brother-style tactics of random drug testing will only provoke resentment and encourage students to break the law. Get together with your peers and start an organization that is committed to educating the community about students’ rights. Don’t hesitate to call your group “Students for Freedom” or some other name that reflects your ideals. The theory is that if students know they might be tested, they’ll just say no to drugs. Unfortunately, what these schools don’t realize is that drug testing is NOT the answer to their drug problems.

The purported goal of such programs is to identify students with possible substance abuse issues in order to intervene early by referring them to treatment programs before an addiction develops. In many cases, however, schools resort to more punitive measures, subjecting kids to suspension, barring them from participating in extracurricular activities, and even expelling them from school entirely. The New York Times reported last fall on new drug testing procedures implemented in both high schools and middle schools in Maryville, Missouri. Students who wish to participate in any club or sport in Maryville schools would have to consent to drug testing prior to joining. A spokesman for the schools told the Times the idea was to raise awareness of drug prevention among all middle and high school students. However, some parents are complaining that the policy is a violation of their children’s rights.

• Instead of considering all the perspectives and genuinely approaching the issue as objectively as possible, nearly everyone seems to have already made up their mind.
• Another Orlando private school has announced that they will conduct mandatory drug screening on students in the upcoming school year.
• The first formal drug testing in the United States took place in New York in the early 1930s.
• «The district’s drug testing policy is more about symbolism than substance,» he added.

According to a report at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, testing can be done as a deterrent for drug use. It can also be used to detect a potential substance abuse problem in students or employees, enabling the individual to receive the help needed to get off the drug in question. In some cases, drug testing may be used to enforce disciplinary measures on drug users in a company or school. Many people take different types of drugs to alter their mood and change their behavior.

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The references are always highly credible, and all of our content is fact-checked, uniquely written, with zero plagiarism. Drug users will only turn to drugs that are more difficult to test, such as ‘designer’ drugs, or use masking agents before being tested. Innocent students do have something to fear – the violation of privacy and loss of dignity caused by a drug test.

«Tecumseh officials initiated urine testing without any evidence of a drug problem at the school and at a time when government reports show that teen drug use is on the decline nationally.» Teenage substance abuse is frequently a manifestation of a child’s problematic home life or inability to foster healthy social relations. Teens who are suffering often use drugs as a form of self-medication. alcohol allergy & alcohol intolerance By punishing teen users, the potential for academic harm increases, perpetuating an already precarious cycle of drug abuse and low self-esteem. Treatment and prevention should remain the top priority – with or without a complementary drug testing program. In any case, demonizing the students who test positive or moralizing about their behavior is likely to backfire.

The Simple Benefits of Drug Testing Students

Keep up with changing drug laws – check out the ACLU Drug Policy Litigation Project to learn more and keep up-to-date. Consider writing a formal complaint with signatures from other students and teachers to distribute to the members of the School Board. Best approach to solving this problem is, we must ensure that the next generation is healthy and safe. This meant an increase from 7.5% to 16.5% for eighth-graders, 15.8% to 30.7% for tenth-graders, and 18.8% to 35.3% for twelfth-graders.

With drug testing, the government can quickly identify the drug abusers and take action against them. This way, the young offenders can be treated before it’s too late, and they will be able to kick their bad habits and return to society as responsible people. Some people believe that it is an excellent way to keep drugs out of schools, while others believe it violates students’ rights. Drug testing allows for early detection and intervention of teen drug use, thus increasing students’ chances of staying sober. Another concern with opponents in recent years has been the implementation of RSDT programs in situations that are not covered by the current Supreme Court rulings. Some schools have expanded their programs to include groups of students that are not involved in any extracurricular activity, such as students who drive or attend school dances.

There Should Be Mandatory Drug Tests in Schools

A six-year study of New Jersey adolescents shows that random drug testing of middle-schoolers may help avoid substance misuse. According to lead researcher Dan Cassino, when middle-school children are tested for drugs, they start to realize that using drugs may land them in trouble. He observed that using random drug testing could prevent drug abuse, although it would be costly. Drug testing has become a common procedure in some areas of society, from teachers and athletes to professionals in a wide range of industries.

Although illicit substance use among adolescents has declined over the past decade, it remains a concern. While the debate on drug testing continues, no one knows definitively how much impact testing will have on student drug use overall. As more schools continue the practice, how to safely detox from alcohol at home 7 tips perhaps enough evidence can be compiled to determine whether testing is providing the desired effect on students. However, the question over student privacy rights is sure to remain a key component in the debate, no matter how successful testing proves to be.

If a high school student starts using drugs they will most likely carry out the habit through the rest of their career or life. This habit will potentially ruin their career, making them ineligible to participate a higher level and affect them not only as an athlete but as an individual. Drug testing will also prepare them for higher level events or maybe even prevent from using them.

Students are tested on drugs from time to time to make sure the educational institution is healthy. The case of Vernonia v. Acton is the legal underpinning for student drug testing in 1995. In that historical case, the Supreme Court asserted the validity of a school system asking student-athletes to undergo random urine examinations in order to participate in extracurricular activities or interscholastic events. Consecutively, the Court dismissed the Fourth Amendment allegation that such testing constituted an unlawful invasion of privacy. This ruling allowed other educational institutions to perform similar procedures.

According to Drugfree.org, students may start as young as fourth grade. However, many students begin experimenting during the tween years and transition periods such as middle school to high school. This policy may encourage students to use more dangerous drugs to avoid detection. Because marijuana is the most easily detectable drug, students may use harder drugs or binge drink, creating greater health risks. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals.

Supreme Court upheld the rights of schools to require drug testing on students for reasons beyond suspicious behavior. The ruling was perceived as a way to combat drug usage among the nation’s youth, despite concerns that it interfered with student privacy. Students in thousands of individual schools are affected, and additional districts have expressed interest in implementing testing.

Student Drug Testing Persuasive Essay

Students who randomly are selected to undergo a drug test must prove their innocence by having a clean urine sample. The purpose of random drug testing is not so much to catch offenders but to prevent all students from offending in the first place. Current measures to tackle drugs at the source (i.e. by imprisoning dealers and breaking the supply chain) are not succeeding. It is especially important to protect teenagers, at an impressionable age and at the time when their attitude to education greatly affects their entire lives.