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Bridgeburner
Not spiritual at all.




Registered: 09/16/06
Posts: 20,010
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Parents, experts divided on school drug testing
#7391611 - 09/10/07 11:34 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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What Maryellen Stratmann heard at her youngest son’s freshman orientation a few weeks ago was music to the Springfield, Mo., mother’s ears: His Catholic high school would be conducting random drug testing on all students.
Her older son also has random drug testing at his public high school, but only for kids who participate in extracurricular activities. To Stratmann and her husband — both physicians who have worked in ERs and witnessed firsthand the effects of drug overdoses and other drug-related problems — the more testing the better.
“It might help identify a teen who needs help,” she reasons. “We also think it makes the campus a safer place, since drugs can interfere with an individual's ability to make good decisions.”
After two Supreme Court decisions upholding the constitutionality of random drug testing and an increase in funding by the Bush Administration to administer the urine tests, more schools across the nation are starting to consider this a feasible method to convey an anti-drug message. Many private schools are testing entire student bodies, and numerous public schools are testing students involved in extracurricular activities (e.g., sports, yearbook committees or even to obtain a parking pass).
Last year, a survey of superintendents by University of New Hampshire researchers published in the journal Education Law Reporter found that about 12 percent of school districts nationwide now drug test students. An additional 10 percent were considering adopting such policies. Parents can opt out, of course, but that means either their child won’t be able to attend the private school or won’t be allowed to participate in the public-school extracurriculars.
Yet, despite the growing popularity, many experts have misgivings.
“I’m a firm believer kids shouldn’t be using drugs, but I don’t think drug testing is giving people the information they think it is,” says Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program at Children’s Hospital Boston. “I hear people talk about drug testing as if it’s a pregnancy test. People think it’s the simplest thing — pee in a cup and run the test and it says yes or no.”
Drug tests are typically administered by contracted medical professionals who randomly select students from a database and come on campus the day of testing. Children are called out of class and asked to give a urine sample. They may be escorted to the nurse’s office, for example, but the students are allowed privacy while giving the sample. The parents, students and school officials are notified of the results of the test. If the sample indicates a child is using, in most cases the student is referred for counseling. Extracurricular activities and privileges are usually revoked.
Levy explains, however, that testing for drugs is complex and there are many limitations. For example, if someone is using a drug not being tested for by the panel, the test will come up negative. If it’s been 48 to 72 hours since the student last used, the test will likely come up drug-free. And if the specimen is adulterated, the test will not be able to detect drugs. Furthermore, prescription drugs interfere with tests.
“Just drinking two half-liter bottles of plain water will dilute the urine so much that it’ll drive detection of substances below detection level,” says Levy.
False sense of security Some parents warn that the results of drug tests are in fact so untrustworthy that they fear others will actually gain a false sense of security from knowing their schools test.
Judith Kirkwood, a Fitchburg, Wis., mother says she knows from experience that drug tests are far from reliable. Her son, who is now 19 and sober, started doing drugs in middle school. “My son was using marijuana regularly by eighth grade and went on to cocaine, crack and heroin,” says Kirkwood, who is a member of the Parent Advisory Board of Partnership for a Drug-Free America and blogs about adolescent drug use at www.motherwarriors.blogspot.com. Throughout his drug use, Kirkwood says her son was being randomly tested to little avail.
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Jive turkey
a black midget shemale



Registered: 07/12/07
Posts: 1,075
Last seen: 9 years, 7 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: Bridgeburner]
#7391657 - 09/10/07 11:52 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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How is this constitutional?
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rodfarva
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Registered: 07/31/07
Posts: 4,982
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: Jive turkey]
#7391715 - 09/10/07 12:10 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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"sphere of personal privacy..."
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boomer q
Comrade General



Registered: 05/03/07
Posts: 1,091
Loc: Dirty Jersey
Last seen: 10 years, 8 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: rodfarva]
#7392206 - 09/10/07 02:41 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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at least they dont threaten legal action if a student fails, that would be serious invasion of privacy
-------------------- I got bags of funk and i sell em by the tons
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fungus_among_us
PhriendlyMycologist


Registered: 02/21/06
Posts: 65
Loc: Midwest
Last seen: 13 years, 10 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: boomer q]
#7392667 - 09/10/07 04:45 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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This is fucking nuts. Let's give teens disincentives for participating in after school activities. Isn't the point of after school activities to keep kids occupied and out of trouble?
The stupidity of some people amazes me.
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rodfarva
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Registered: 07/31/07
Posts: 4,982
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: fungus_among_us]
#7393161 - 09/10/07 06:38 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Weed got me through grade school. I was an athlete and all of that. You know what i would have done if they kicked me out? sat some where and did more drugs, while trying to bang chicks.
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JT



Registered: 02/28/07
Posts: 7,027
Loc: athens
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: rodfarva]
#7393544 - 09/10/07 08:04 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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drop the drug testing and devote the money to something productive...
seriously, it can cost schools over 100k per year to random drug test students. think of all the stuff they could do with that money.
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DonkeyShell
Strange


Registered: 06/05/07
Posts: 212
Last seen: 14 years, 7 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: Jive turkey]
#7393728 - 09/10/07 08:43 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Jive turkey said: How is this constitutional?
Because it only violates one constitutional amendment, not three or four, like most laws enforced by Bush and his Supreme Court.
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wireless
Thizziswhatis


Registered: 11/06/06
Posts: 3,948
Last seen: 14 years, 6 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: DonkeyShell]
#7393788 - 09/10/07 08:50 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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That's right. Deter kids from using cannabis so they can become alcoholics when they get older. What a bunch of fucking retards.
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joekenorer
The Joekenorer



Registered: 05/22/07
Posts: 626
Loc: Pensacola, FL.
Last seen: 1 year, 6 months
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Re: Parents, experts divided on school drug testing [Re: wireless]
#7394495 - 09/10/07 11:37 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Of course school age kids and teens shouldn't be doing ANY kind of mind altering substances (imo), but still, its not up to anyone other than themselves to make the decision. Whats going to happen is they are going to drive the drug scene further underground where the hopes of getting good, honest, and useful information about drugs will be slim to none. I'm sure drug use has dropped in those schools where testing is already administered, but what about the kids who learn to avoid the tests and go deeper into a hole of secrecy and introvertness? (yes, its a word)
-------------------- My favorites are weeping willows, which aren't really weeping at all. They're very wispy, witty and will dance in the breeze with you. Nothing like a tree that wants to dance with you. Although it doesn't like its thin limbs being pulled at all, it absolutely LOVES it when you walk through them, letting them gently slide over your face and shoulders. If you're naked, the willow considers it to be sex. It will orgasm on your mind and you will blow dream chunks into outer space. All very fun until your neighbor sees you. -The Joekenorer
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