High School Drug Testing

[cincygreg]

This has been a long time coming. Pretty much gotta figure that many other area schools are going to be checking to see how this goes over for the purpose of possibly instituting this kind of messure thamselves.

Milford HS to drug-test
Students in activities, drivers subject to random checks
BY CINDY KRANZ | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
MILFORD - When Milford High School resumes classes Aug. 28, more than half of the 1,900 students will be subject to random drug tests.

The Milford School Board on Thursday approved a policy that requires students participating in any co-curricular (band/chorus) or extracurricular (sports, groups) activities and students who apply for a parking permit to be subject to random drug testing.

No parents or students spoke about the policy at the board meeting.

Board President Carol Ball said the "Just say 'No'" public-service messages of the past are not enough today, when young people are increasingly pressured by others to use or buy drugs.

"We want to give our children another reason to say 'no' that their peers will understand," she said.

Students eligible for testing will be assigned numbers. A computer will randomly select numbers, and those students will be required to provide a urine sample.

If students test positive, they will be removed from the activity they are currently participating in for the rest of the season, or their parking permit will be revoked for the remainder of the season. Permits are sold seasonally - fall, winter and spring.

Students would not be suspended or expelled, nor would they be turned over to the police.

"The purpose of this policy is to strengthen the district's zero-tolerance stance on drugs," Superintendent John Frye said. "It also provides students with a strong reason to say no. It is not our intention to catch kids who test positive for drugs, but rather prevent students from using drugs in the first place."

Board members said implementing the policy doesn't mean that Milford has a larger drug problem than any other schools. But board member Dave Yockey said, "To ignore the fact or to say we don't have a problem would be sticking our heads in the sand."

Milford School District spent $60,000 in the 2004-05 school year for an undercover private investigator to pose as a student and make drug buys from high school students. Sixteen students were arrested at a drug bust in April 2005.

Some Ohio districts currently do drug testing, but Milford's new random drug-testing policy might be the toughest in the state, Scott Ebright, spokesman for the Ohio School Boards Association, said.

Random drug testing for students who participate in extracurricular activities has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and is legal, said Jeff Gamso, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. The idea is that participating in those activities is a privilege, not a right.

But, he said, drug-testing students with parking permits is on questionable legal ground.

Gamso said there's no evidence that drug tests deter drug use. "What you're doing is pumping money into a program that may or may not accomplish a thing." Milford will pay for testing with Drug Free School federal grant money.

What's more, Gamso said, drug testing sends a message to students that the school doesn't trust them: "It's a bad use of resources. It's bad for the kids. It's bad for the school district. The parents should be outraged."

Deanna Eppers, who has a daughter in high school, thinks the timing of the policy is bad and will foster community distrust of the school board and superintendent.

"Go ahead and test my daughter. I don't think it's a good move right now. I think many people will be offended. This may affect the levy." Milford is considering a levy and bond issue for November.

Her daughter, Stephanie, 17, will be a junior and is in chorus.

"It won't be a problem with me, because I don't do that kind of thing," Stephanie said. However, she added that she's concerned a random drug-testing policy would discourage drug users from participating in activities that might do them some good or even stop them from using drugs.

Casey Larrison, a 17-year-old senior, will be driving to school this year and be subject to random drug testing. "I don't have anything to hide. If they want to test me, fine. They're not going to find anything."

His father, John Larrison, a district school bus driver, has two other children, one at the high school and one at the junior high.

"I think it's great," John Larrison said of the new policy. "We came from Chicago where the drug problem is terrible compared to here. It's great to see the school board taking some action and making it safer for my kids to go to school."

What do you think?

[Lew]

One, I fully support this, but two, it will never go anywhere. And here's why: Mr. & Mrs. Yuppie Suburbia do not and cannot accept that their precious (fill-in-the name- Cody, Seth, Zack, Cheyenne, Sierra, Morgan, or whomever) could ever do drugs. Furthermore, what if Tyler/Connor/Autumn/Emily is a star athlete who is being considered for a full ride at a Big 10 university?

Teen girls at Taft got pregnant in the 60s, no one cared. Then one day a preppy white girl from Sycamore or Indian Hill got knocked up, and all of the sudden the sky was falling.

Same thing with drugs. I would love to be able to test every student at Milford or Mason or wherever. I guarantee you the parents would be shocked, absolutely shocked at the results. And forget mj, I'm talking harder stuff. Oxy, meth, you name it. They would be blown away.

[cincygreg]

It will be interesting to see where this goes.

If one school can pull it off, others will follow suit.

Expect bickering though, it'll happen.

[Lew]

I'm not a parent yet, but if my wife and I have kids, you can be rest assured they will be drug tested w/o their knowledge. My wife and I have already had this argument, she thinks nothing should be done without suspicion. I'm like, what, am I Jumper pulling someone over for no reason at all and asking them a few questions with the night stick? A parent should not have to have probable cause or reasonable suspicion or any of that crap.

Now, what happens if our 12 year old fails for mj? Well, I'm sure he/she will love living in the Czech Republic, because that's where they get shipped to.

I still can't get over the denial in some parents. And yes, I realize there are millions of teens who don't do drugs and are going to be good citizens. I'm just telling you, the public has no idea just how bad it really is because the public doesn't want to know.

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Lew:
I'm not a parent yet, but if my wife and I have kids, you can be rest assured they will be drug tested w/o their knowledge. My wife and I have already had this argument, she thinks nothing should be done without suspicion. I'm like, what, am I Jumper pulling someone over for no reason at all and asking them a few questions with the night stick? A parent should not have to have probable cause or reasonable suspicion or any of that crap.

Now, what happens if our 12 year old fails for mj? Well, I'm sure he/she will love living in the Czech Republic, because that's where they get shipped to.

I still can't get over the denial in some parents. And yes, I realize there are millions of teens who don't do drugs and are going to be good citizens. I'm just telling you, the public has no idea just how bad it really is because the public doesn't want to know.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You are so right. I can't begin to tell you how many parent from outer suburbia I have had to call to have them come pick up their kids b/c they were popped in the park for drugs and/or alcohol. When I would call, most of them would be in denial and try to blame either me or the police officer who arrested them. If it wasn't so pathetic it would be funny.

[Lew]

Hey good to hear from you, GS.

Of course it's your fault. Tyler is not on drugs; he's a good kid, and you should be worried more about child molesters and all that instead of picking on kids.

Or....

Maybe, maybe they might just concede that, at worst, he got involved with a bad bunch of kids.

And no one is saying they're necessarily evil or any of that. But they need to get out of denial and try to stop the problem ASAP before it really gets out of hand.

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Lew:
Hey good to hear from you, GS.

Of course it's your fault. Tyler is not on drugs; he's a good kid, and you should be worried more about child molesters and all that instead of picking on kids.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi Lew. It's good to be back.

I get that alot from parents. I also get the other end of the spectrum too. That would be the parents who want their kids locked up for the dumbest things. Like not coming in when they are supposed to or for not doing their chores. The list is endless.

I really think you should have to have a license to be a parent.

[LanDroid]

"I'm not a parent yet, but if my wife and I have kids, you can be rest assured they will be drug tested w/o their knowledge."

How are you going to do that? Labs won't work that way...

"Now, what happens if our 12 year old fails for mj? Well, I'm sure he/she will love living in the Czech Republic, because that's where they get shipped to."

Tough talk, but wait 'til it's your turn.... Just wait....

[Lew]

Lan-

regarding the drug testing, I've borrowed enough pee tests from the taxpayers of Indiana to last a lifetime (and it's not like they're that expensive anyway). But really, you don't even have to do that. What I do is to start talking to a client about mundane things, like school, the Reds, whatever, anything to get their defenses down. Then, right in the middle of my spiel, I break out the old "how would you do on a drug test right now?" If they can pass, they will answer right away (or within a pause of tolerable brevity) that they can. If they start fumbling around, or don't answer the question, or look away, or any of that, there's your answer right there.

Now, as for the Czech republic thing....I didn't say they'd have to live there forever, I was thinking like maybe 3-4 months or so.

I know, I know all my parent friends tell me it will be different once it actually happens. And like my wife would ever let me ship them overseas (although maybe I'd make her go with them, then I could party with a bunch of broads and liquor out here at Big Daddy LewMan's funhouse).

Prior to practicing criminal law, I would never have thought twice about it. Now I'm all but paranoid. I've represented 30 year-olds that, quite frankly, it's over. And it's been over for a long time. And when you get to talking with them and reviewing their record, you realize they didn't start their downward spiral at 29, they started at 14 or 15 or thereabouts. And maybe, just maybe, something could have happened to them during those years that might have put them back on track. But it didn't, and it reaches a point where it's too late (ok you never give up on someone totally, but you have to be realistic as well). I know this doesn't apply to most teens, but it does happen and I can't imagine how devastated I'd be if it happened to me.

[Euclid]

Parents seem to be getting worse about not accepting their kids' behavior. I think part of this is because they are too tired to be parents. Usually both work these days and they want to do things for themselves, so by the time they are finished taking the kids everywhere, they are exhausted and don't want to have the conversation about things that matter, ie drugs, sex, violence, etc.

I wish people would think about what it takes to raise healthy, productive members of society b/f they have children. It means giving up some of your own dreams...it means not buying the latest SUV or living in the biggest house so one parent can stay at home or at least work part time. I NEVER ever thought that my childhood sucked because we had an old station wagon and lived in a small cape cod. Kids don't need THINGS, they need someone to love them and to guide them...more so then ever b/c of the crazy world we live in.

Lew,
I think you have a great point about getting to the kids before it is too late. Case in point: the 25yo who killed 2 cyclists while driving under the influence. He was also driving with a suspended license due to previous times DUI. I don't think he started drinking at 24. Probably started drinking in high school and the parents thought it was OK or under control. Now he will(hopefully) spend the rest of his life in jail. I wouldn't feel bad if he got the death penalty. 25...and his life is over!!! The most terrible part, he took 2 innocient lives with him! Do his parents think they did a good job raising him? I hope not...they have blood on their hands too. MHO