Persuasive Essay: Random Drug Testing In Schools

For decades, one of the most controversial debate topics has been whether random drug testing in high schools is justified. I St. Andrews Collage is one of the schools that participates in unannounced drug testing to monitor that the boys do not stray off track. In order to be accepted into the school, you must sign a form that says at any point in your years at the school, the school may be able to drug test you if they feel required. If any of the students test positive during their drug tests, that student will be expelled from the school. Personally, I find drug testing within high school an extreme invasion of privacy and I believe

Some say the reason for drug testing is because some believe that students who are drug free shouldn’t be surrounded by students who aren’t drug free, or that if the child is found to be using drugs

In January of 1996, six months after the United States Supreme Court ruled that it was appropriate for Oregon’s school district 47J in Vernonia, to require student athletes in middle school and high school to participate in random, suspicionless drug tests, one percent out of the 16,000 schools in the country had brought the random drug testing into their facilities. (Taylor, Robert) Even though the Supreme Court ruled this way, they did not feel that this testing was a good idea. There had to of been some reason for this. (Bailey, William) If only one out 16,000 schools pick up on drug testing as a good idea, then there is more than likely something that the schools don’t think is right with it or they are unable to do it for some reason. Research shows that drug testing of public school athletes is not a good idea because it singles out athletes from all of the students in the school and suspects them of using drugs it is also a waste of time and money, and consists of low accuracy tests that so not always give the correct results.

In many high schools around the country, student athletes are using drugs. “The percent of students that have drunk alcohol is 72.5% while the number of students who have used marijuana is 36.8%” (Report: Nearly Half of High School Students Using Drugs, Alcohol). The students believe that since they are athletes that they do not need to abide by the rules because they feel more superior and that the narcotic will not hurt or affect them. Implementing random drug tests for athletes will create a positive image and not hurt others or themselves. Schools need to have drug tests for student athletes because drugs effect relationships, using drugs have consequences, and lastly they have a major effect on the body.

Slowly pushing students to become addicts, drug testing high school student athletes may or may not be to blame. In Facts & Statistics on Random Drug Testing of High School Students, Dr. M.H. Davis stated, “In the early 1990s, many school districts began to look into drug testing as a way to curb student drug use, which led to two U.S. Supreme Court cases involving student privacy. The court upheld the constitutionality of drug testing student athletes in 1995, and in 2002, the court expanded high school drug testing policies to include all students who participate in a competitive extracurricular activity. In those rulings, the court stated deterring student drug use was more important than privacy” (Davis). Drug testing high school athletes

Roughly a thousand of student athletes in Beaufort County public schools. Were randomly tested for and counted for drugs. In and about, merely twenty three were accounted for being positive. Having some parents to take over their child’s legal rights that were wrongly being broken off. Putting their fourth and fifth amendment in danger, knocking them to feel unsecured and a intrusion in their property. This is no way to treat athletes in this situation, they should be always on their game and not no drug test. Especially giving out over thirty test out per month, hurting the schools if given a bad report. At any rate not, nor should a mandatory drug test should not be given out roughly thirty times. But only convincing parent or their child

Students who were randomly drug tested were less likely to use them in later years. There is a 12% average of students in 8th grade that use drugs. New Jersey published the results of a six year study of drug-testing preventions among New Jersey Middle School students. The students asked their parents if they could get randomly drug tested, in the later years the drug abuse reduced. Almost every school now does drug testing for students engaged in sports or extracurricular activities.The primary purpose of drug testing is not a punishment, but to prevent drug abuse, and help them to become drug-free. Drug testing middle school students is a good influence, doing drugs affects the brain and body massively at a young age, many studies show positive

Testing high school students for drugs isn't the wrong thing to do. High school students taking drugs are wrong because they can damage their bodies and even lead to killing themselves. Random drug testing of student athletes has become more common in some school districts and is probably being recognized in many others. Promoters of random drug inspection policies believe they will knock down the use of drugs and alcohol, at least with students and athletes. Not a lot of people would go against this desirable outcome; though, the system being utilized, the means, have heightened questions in the minds of many

Forcing kids away from something that is doing no harm to them during school hours will only lead them to more destructive things. For example, testing may make kids want to try to beat the test which may lead into even worse decisions . Doing this may/will damage the trust between the students and the teachers, which could truly hurt some kids, for some their teachers may be the only one they have to talk to. The testing could make kids no longer eligible to play sports or do extracurricular activities which may lead them into gangs or just getting into more trouble in general . These are just

According to the Indiana Prevention Resource Center, school based drug testing has been occurring for about three decades. It is proclaimed that it in fact is constitutional to drug test students in all grades.( Indiana University 1). I agree with this statement because we are given the chance to learn and be educated for 18 years and more, and it is only fair to be expected to show up sober.

In the United States, 27.2 percent of high school student participated in illicit drug use. While this number has lowered in the past two decades, dug use among teens is still a large issue. To combat this problem many schools have opted to drug test their students. Schools do have the right to drug test their students but there are constitutional limits in which a school can require mandatory drug testing. The constitutional limits include; health risks and personal injury risks.

Many high schools across the country have brought much attention to the idea of giving random drug tests to students in high school. The newfound interest in student drug testing may be as a result of recent polls, which have shown an increase in drug use among high school students. Many teachers, parents, and members of school comities are for the drug testing, while most students and some parents feel that this would be a violation of students rights as Americans, which is true.

Introducing the fear to students on drug testing that will directly affect them, will most likely decrease the use of drugs being abused. The president of the Institute for Behavior and Health explains that RSDT (Random Student Drug Test) could be used on any athlete, any day, and any time without notice (DuPont et al ¶6). Making the testing random will help eliminate any cheating or strategizing that the students who would test positive could be doing. Keith Ablow, MD and psychiatrist published an article in 2011 said that, both varsity and junior varsity teams should be tested with results kept private (¶6). To only test Varsity athletes would be unacceptable because JV athletes could cause just as much harm to athletes around them as to themselves. To make it fair and because kids follow by example, coaches would test also (Ablow ¶ 9). When a positive test appears, there should be punishment, but not to the extent of expulsion. Guidelines to RSDT programs say it is not supposed to end up in punishment for drug tests (DuPont et al ¶25). Not giving any punishment would defeat the purpose because then kids would not care to stop their drug use. Random drug tests to not only student-athletes, but students in general will promote a healthier lifestyle without drug use (DuPont et al ¶5). Students should be on edge not knowing if they are going to be tested or

Why should we drug test students in schools? Some seem to think drug tests could have a negative effect on students and their relationship with their community amongst their school, while others think drug tests should definitely find their way into the school system. Really, drug tests should be implemented into all school systems. Schools aren’t looking to punish students for going on the wrong track, rather they aspire to lead them back onto the correct way. The age of students in high schools generally range from 14-18 years of age, meaning they are not suppose to be doing any form of drugs. Students need to be tested at school to make sure they are on the right track and are focusing on their school work for a better future, rather

Supreme Court broadened the authority of public schools to test students for illegal drugs. Voting 5 to 4 in Pottawatomie County v. Earls, the court ruled to allow random drug tests for all middle and high school students participating in competitive extracurricular activities (National Institute of Mental Health 1). As for drug testing college students and athletes, receiving scholarships should be seen as a privilege, not a right. Colleges could also use the random testing method, as described earlier, to lower costs. With this, a sort of random drawing of which students will get tested could occur. While not every student would be tested, the possibility of being tested would hopefully act as a deterrent. No matter what method is used for testing, ignoring drug abuse and not using any sort of deterrent only makes the problem worse. As one article reminds readers, ignoring alcohol and drug abuse in college only lends to the continuous negative culture on campuses, “Drunkenness should not mark half-time at college football games, nor should Ritalin and Adderall abuse be the price of performance” (Califano