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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2019 3:36:09 GMT
As a parent, without just cause, would you be ok with this?
From ABC News..
“Texas district to begin drug testing students as young as 12”
A school district in the Texas Panhandle will begin drug testing students as young as 12 years old who are interested in playing sports or participating in other extracurricular activities.
Testing will begin with the resumption of classes next month at Bushland Independent School District and will be required of students in grades seven through 12 who play in the band, sit on the student council, assemble a yearbook, play chess or participate in other clubs. Students who receive a permit to park at the high school also will be subjected to testing.
The district does not have a drug problem or growing epidemic, district Assistant Superintendent Angie Watson said Wednesday, but the purpose is to keep students safe and "deter them from doing anything that would harm them."
"There isn't an apparent drug problem," Watson said, "but that isn't to say that kids across the nation are not being introduced to drugs and getting into drugs. We're just trying to be proactive. We're giving them a reason to not do that."
The school board a few months ago gave the OK for the development of a policy and then district officials released it to the public last week, Watson said. There are about 700 students in grades seven through 12 in the district, which is just west of Amarillo. Either saliva swabs or urine samples from those students involved in extracurricular activities will be tested.
Administrators will check for seven substances — including alcohol, marijuana, heroin and opioids — and Watson said funds were set aside in the school budget this year to cover costs. Some students also will be subjected to random follow-up testing to ensure they're adhering to the policy.
A school district in Nebraska took the unusual step last month of adding nicotine to the list of drugs to be randomly tested. The move by Fairbury Public Schools drew criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska.
Several districts in Texas have drug testing in place. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 broadened the authority of public schools to test children for illegal drugs by allowing for the inclusion of middle and high school students participating in extracurricular programs, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Testing had previously been allowed only for student athletes.“
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 28, 2019 3:41:09 GMT
I can see why people might have issues with this. But on the other hand, if my kid's test came back positive and I didn't think they were doing drugs, it could be a positive thing. At least I would know. As long as they are testing everyone with the same consequences, I could get on board with it.
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Post by busy on Jul 28, 2019 3:49:08 GMT
I am not a fan of routine drug testing of minors without cause. Period.
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Post by pierkiss on Jul 28, 2019 4:00:04 GMT
Nope.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 28, 2019 4:04:26 GMT
Who is paying for it? If it is taxpayers, then I have a problem with money being spent on drug testing that could be spent on classrooms. (I know it says it is in the budget, but was it a grant or out of the general budget)
As a parent whose child played varsity sports, if it was a policy that was written before he played and he chose to play anyway, then he would do the test.
FWIW, I am confident quite a few of our athletes would have tested positive for at least pot.
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zella
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Post by zella on Jul 28, 2019 4:06:36 GMT
Nope. Not okay. Not under any circumstances.
As someone who never touched drugs, I would have been mortified.
As someone whose kids never touched drugs, I would have been enraged and probably pulled them from that school.
These are CHILDREN. It is, frankly, no one's business other than the child, the parent and the doctor. It certainly isn't the business of the school. This is particularly true with the growing use of medical marijuana, including for some children such as those with epilepsy that doesn't respond to traditional medications.
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 28, 2019 4:11:48 GMT
Who is paying for it? If it is taxpayers, then I have a problem with money being spent on drug testing that could be spent on classrooms. (I know it says it is in the budget, but was it a grant or out of the general budget) As a parent whose child played varsity sports, if it was a policy that was written before he played and he chose to play anyway, then he would do the test. FWIW, I am confident quite a few of our athletes would have tested positive for at least pot. It can be a little shocking how many younger kids have access to pot. Twelve is definitely the age some start trying it. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2019 4:12:26 GMT
No big deal. Been that way in our district, dh's, and many others for a long time here. Any student who plays on a school sport team is subject to a random test. Parents are either okay with this or not. Not? Your kid doesn't play.
You can also request a random test of your student during the year. Parent just signs up for up.
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Post by Pahina722 on Jul 28, 2019 4:18:52 GMT
This has been the policy in our district for a while. The results of the test are not common knowledge. If there is a problem, the parent is notified and the school arranged counseling (if the parent wants). Students who test positive aren’t allowed to take part in their extra curricular competitions until they are clean. It’s random and unannounced.
As a parent, I would rather learn early so that I can take action than only find out when he’s in the hospital.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 28, 2019 4:19:47 GMT
Who is paying for it? If it is taxpayers, then I have a problem with money being spent on drug testing that could be spent on classrooms. (I know it says it is in the budget, but was it a grant or out of the general budget) As a parent whose child played varsity sports, if it was a policy that was written before he played and he chose to play anyway, then he would do the test. FWIW, I am confident quite a few of our athletes would have tested positive for at least pot. It can be a little shocking how many younger kids have access to pot. Twelve is definitely the age some start trying it. I was 12 when I first tried pot. ETA: I would have not smoked pot during soccer season if my school had tested. |
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Jul 28, 2019 4:22:00 GMT
Perfectly ok. I wish our district would do this.
Participation in extracurricular activities is not a right. You want to do drugs? Be willing to give up sports.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 28, 2019 4:24:32 GMT
Perfectly ok. I wish our district would do this. Participation in extracurricular activities is not a right. You want to do drugs? Be willing to give up sports. I could also see certain schools turning the other way for start athletes |
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Jul 28, 2019 4:26:00 GMT
Perfectly ok. I wish our district would do this. Participation in extracurricular activities is ppnot a right. You want to do drugs? Be willing to give up sports. I could also see certain schools turning the other way for start athletes I would be furious if that happened here. But I believe you’re right. |
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 28, 2019 4:32:09 GMT
It can be a little shocking how many younger kids have access to pot. Twelve is definitely the age some start trying it. I was 12 when I first tried pot. ETA: I would have not smoked pot during soccer season if my school had tested. True, but you are a girl and might think out consequences better than a male (at that age). Perhaps some kids in multiple sports or activities might even give it up altogether. |
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Post by mom on Jul 28, 2019 4:40:16 GMT
This is actually a neighboring school district to me. We actually looked at this school when our boys were still in school. The administrator who is quoted as saying there isn't a drug problem is lying. Its a huge problem everywhere in the Panhandle. This district also has money issues and I cannot imagine they will be able to pay for all this testing (within the past 3 years they were in a budget deficit and could not pass another bond election. They were saying to expect program cuts and that they would be accepting donations to help the district stay afloat.)
I don't have an issue with the testing though. Being involved in extra-curricular activities is a privilege. if the rule was in place when my kid signed up to participate, then I would fully expect them to be tested.
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Post by BSnyder on Jul 28, 2019 4:42:08 GMT
For sports, I get it. Performance enhancing drugs are potentially an issue at HS where sports are intense, and I don’t like it, but it can be a part of the sports physical and it is mandatory at as they move up. It’s a fairness and health issue for athletes. But, to do yearbook or band, it’s unnecessary other than to give reason for randomly testing a larger population. Alcohol and nicotine, too. What’s next? Mandatory pregnancy tests?
My kids get away with much less than I did as a teen, and I wasn’t a “bad” kid. We have them locked in schools, security patrolling halls, Cinderella licenses, most places won’t hire 16 yo anymore, my high schooler needs a note to go study with friends after school, not allowed to carry backpacks in school, the list goes on.
What are we doing to our kids? I am glad I grew up when I did, because being a kid today seems like it absolutely sucks, everybody assuming the worst and hovering around at all times to protect you from yourself, with almost no freedom.
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snyder
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Post by snyder on Jul 28, 2019 4:43:03 GMT
If it was random and I wasn't aware of it happening, then no, but if it is go do your drug test, no big deal. They do drug tests in professional sports, so it should start and the younger levels. Extra-curricular activities, I'm on the line about. I really don't think that they should go to that extreme or expense, but it might also depend on the activity. If you're in the science club handling chemicals, maybe you should be.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 28, 2019 4:43:28 GMT
Participation in extracurricular activities is not a right. You want to do drugs? Be willing to give up sports.
Here not just sports, all extra curricular activities.
They cannot pick and choose which activity that there is testing.
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Post by Merge on Jul 28, 2019 4:44:32 GMT
Oh hell no. School district doesn’t get to decide my kid’s future (college admissions or scholarships, for example) randomly, without cause, for something that happened outside of school time.
We’d be getting lawyers involved. Expensive ones. It would be Merge ISD when we were done with them.
I’d strongly suggest that any school district that doesn’t want to also deal with parents suing them stops wasting money trying to catch kids for stuff they do off campus and outside of school time.
The “don’t like it don’t play” argument holds no water with me. It’s a public school. My tax dollars pay for it. And no way in hell are they going to reduce my kid’s chances at scholarship because she got sat out of the orchestra for testing positive for pot, nicotine or anything else. As long as she’s not using or high at school, it’s not their fucking business.
ETA: and what really sucks about a policy like this is that it’s not my kid who is going to suffer. In this hypothetical situation, if I have my lawyer friend call them up, that’s probably going to be the end of it and my kid will be fine. It’s the kid with less affluent and connected parents, the kid whose parents don’t feel safe enough to make waves - often, the kid whose skin is not white - who is going to suffer. And that’s not OK with me, either.
Let’s let the parents parent their kids and let the schools worry about what they actually do in school. Everyone will be better off.
(I’m also not a fan of no pass/no play rules in K-12 education. If you’ve got a kid who struggles academically but excels at football or trumpet or art, what are we doing when we take away the thing that gives him a reason to go to school every day? Not doing him any favors, that’s for sure.)
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AnotherPea
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Post by AnotherPea on Jul 28, 2019 5:01:06 GMT
Participation in extracurricular activities is not a right. You want to do drugs? Be willing to give up sports.
Here not just sports, all extra curricular activities.
They cannot pick and choose which activity that there is testing.
Which is also fine. All of it is optional. People just tend to get more protective about their kids being in sports. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2019 5:31:21 GMT
Hell no.
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Post by Merge on Jul 28, 2019 5:31:41 GMT
I find it so interesting that this kind of policy apparently plays well in more conservative areas and with more conservative people. Are we no longer concerned about government intrusion into our lives? No longer concerned about the schools trying to take the place of parents?
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Post by busy on Jul 28, 2019 5:38:00 GMT
I find it so interesting that this kind of policy apparently plays well in more conservative areas and with more conservative people. Are we no longer concerned about government intrusion into our lives? No longer concerned about the schools trying to take the place of parents? Wondering the same thing... |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2019 5:38:21 GMT
Who gets the data that comes w/the drug test results? Do they get to profile my kid and keep their data on file? Do they get to put that data into a database and sell it to data brokers? What else can they find out from the drug test? "a person’s urine can disclose many details about that person’s private life other than drug use, including personal medical information. It can tell an employer whether an employee or job applicant is being treated for a heart condition, depression, epilepsy or diabetes. It can also reveal whether an employee is pregnant. Drug testing may “provide employers with a periscope through which they can peer into an individual’s behavior in her private life, even in her own home […]”5 For all of these reasons, the Supreme Court has found that urine testing, like blood testing, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment.6" www.cleartest.com/blog/latest-news/drug-testing-your-right-to-privacy#fn5 |
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 28, 2019 5:42:57 GMT
I find it so interesting that this kind of policy apparently plays well in more conservative areas and with more conservative people. Are we no longer concerned about government intrusion into our lives? No longer concerned about the schools trying to take the place of parents? <<< Not a conservative, of course, I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't like random testing. I'd rather they did mandatory at specific times. Of course, then the kids could prepare. But how would they decide who got tested and who didn't and then does that show favoritism? I guess the real question is why are they wanting to test? What is the purpose behind it? Since they are testing for more than steroids, it isn't just for performing enhancing. |
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MsKnit
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Post by MsKnit on Jul 28, 2019 5:43:21 GMT
Participation in extracurricular activities is not a right. You want to do drugs? Be willing to give up sports.
Here not just sports, all extra curricular activities.
They cannot pick and choose which activity that there is testing.
They are not supposed to pick and choose. Does not stop it. My son was tested multiple times every school year (marching band). The worst was the year he was tested 6 times. It came out that the football players were not being tested. The shit hit the fan. The school was forced to test the team at the worst possible time in the season. It needed to be done, should have been done all along, & the lesson was costly & painful. ETA: This was during his high school years. And, no, I wasn’t ok with it. Wasn’t ok with a number of things that were done during his K-12 years. He wanted to be in marching band, I supported him. He had to deal with the consequences of that choice. |
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Post by mom on Jul 28, 2019 5:50:02 GMT
Who gets the data that comes w/the drug test results?
Do they get to profile my kid and keep their data on file?
Do they get to put that data into a database and sell it to data brokers?
What else can they find out from the drug test?
"a person’s urine can disclose many details about that person’s private life other than drug use, including personal medical information. It can tell an employer whether an employee or job applicant is being treated for a heart condition, depression, epilepsy or diabetes. It can also reveal whether an employee is pregnant. Drug testing may “provide employers with a periscope through which they can peer into an individual’s behavior in her private life, even in her own home […]”5 For all of these reasons, the Supreme Court has found that urine testing, like blood testing, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment.6" www.cleartest.com/blog/latest-news/drug-testing-your-right-to-privacy#fn5 Thats a good point (that I hadn't thought about). I am going to see what I can find out from a friend who is a coach at this school. I wonder if he would know? |
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Post by mom on Jul 28, 2019 5:51:49 GMT
I find it so interesting that this kind of policy apparently plays well in more conservative areas and with more conservative people. Are we no longer concerned about government intrusion into our lives? No longer concerned about the schools trying to take the place of parents? <<< Not a conservative, of course, I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't like random testing. I'd rather they did mandatory at specific times. Of course, then the kids could prepare. But how would they decide who got tested and who didn't and then does that show favoritism? I guess the real question is why are they wanting to test? What is the purpose behind it? Since they are testing for more than steroids, it isn't just for performing enhancing.From what I have heard on local news is that they are doing this proactively, trying to deter students from ever starting any use. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 28, 2019 6:12:18 GMT
<<< Not a conservative, of course, I am not sure how I feel about it. I don't like random testing. I'd rather they did mandatory at specific times. Of course, then the kids could prepare. But how would they decide who got tested and who didn't and then does that show favoritism? I guess the real question is why are they wanting to test? What is the purpose behind it? Since they are testing for more than steroids, it isn't just for performing enhancing.From what I have heard on local news is that they are doing this proactively, trying to deter students from ever starting any use. Hmm. Skeptical. I’d follow the money on that one. Who profits from testing so many students? |
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Post by lucyg on Jul 28, 2019 6:28:37 GMT
I agree with most of what Merge said. I also don’t like the idea of them forcing out kids who may be sort of borderline in life. The exact ones who might really NEED football or chess club or marching band in their life. Having that extracurricular activity may be what keeps them afloat while they sort out the rest. And it kind of seems like schools have their hands full already, without getting all up in whatever illegal substances kids are experimenting with at the moment. Nicotine? Really?? Not healthy but also really none of their beeswax. |
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