Drug Testing Students in School Is Not Effective

Drug testing students is unconstitutional and lacks scientific evidence of its effectiveness. While I agree that schools have a certain responsibility for providing students with a safe and drug free atmosphere many of the current prevention programs in use are simply ineffective and punitive. Drug testing policies are invasive and unreliable. Collecting kids hair or bodily fluids is a violation of privacy and makes.

One of the most reliable and simple ways of reducing substance abuse in our schools is to keep kids busy. When kids are participating in extracurricular activities and athletics they are busy building healthy relationships and habits, not doing drugs and partying. Schools should be promoting positive activities outside of the classroom that will give students a positive outlet. Students having less free time on their hands would no doubt lead to a decrease in drug and alcohol use.

Schools that implement a drug testing policy feed into an ideology of guilty until proven innocent. When students are picked at random for testing they are automatically forced to prove their innocence. Schools with random drug testing do not conform to a previous case of law, Verona School District V. Action. In this case drug testing was not viable unless the student was under serious suspicion of drug use. This was also applied to groups of students demonstrating drug use at epidemic proportions. Say your neighbor is busted for selling drugs. Would you be okay with the police breaking down your door without probable cause? Of course not! If this is the case why are we okay with the unfair assumption that kids are all doing drugs.

Being a student myself, I can tell you that in private schools with drug testing there will always be kids that will do drugs and pass drug tests. Not only do students habitually smoke marijauna, but they binge drink. When students fear testing positive for marajuana they are far more likely to turn to alcohol. Studies have also shown that students are driven to harder more dangerous drugs that go undetected by their schools administered test. Drug testing can lead to risky behavior to avoid detection from their school.

Drug testing negatively impacts students view of their school and creates an atmosphere that makes them feel mistrusted by their peers. Because we all believe it is critical to feel safe in learning environments it is crucial we have mutual trust between administration and students. This does not come from unwarranted assumption of wrongdoing. Students feeling constantly threatened by random tests is counterproductive and not a solution to the overarching issue at hand.

In the midst of demonizing drugs we are failing to see the root of the problem, problematic social lives The cause of substance abuse in youths is dependent on their social lives. Emotional and physical abuse, neglect, household substance abuse, sexual trauma and lack of coping skills are what the focus should be on.