Random drug testing coming back to Georgetown Highschools, do you agree? (Austin: sale, daycares)

[BatWing]

I don't have a problem with this as long as they test the kids that are acting suspicioius like the ones that skip school repeatedly, disrupt classes, fighting all the time, bullies, ect...but there really is no need to test the regular students and the athletes since they don't deserve that infringement on their privacy.

In the end it boils down to profiling/blackballing students anyway, so why not focus on the ones that are the troublemakers and school skippers.

AND I heard on the radio this morning that Cops who shoot kids and dogs in Austin and surrounding areas like Georgetown, SHOULD be drug tested immediately for cocaine, meth and other dreadful drugs. Cops are not angels and they have more access to potent drugs than the rest of us.

So drug test the suspicious hoodlums and reckless cops is my position. what's yours?

[Trainwreck20]

By testing the 'suspicious' ones, you are going to get busted for profiling an a slew of other legal challenges. The only way you can legally run such a program is a two part system - 1) random testing (which, imho, should include teachers and admin as well as students) and 2) 'for cause' - testing if you violated a specific, written criteria - i.e. caught with alcohol or drugs, miss school x number of times, etc. You can't just do it because 'I think he needs testing'.

OTOH, I don't know that it is really that useful a program in a HS, but dunno....

[mamacatnv]

Targeting a group to test removes the meaning of random

[BatWing]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

By testing the 'suspicious' ones, you are going to get busted for profiling an a slew of other legal challenges. The only way you can legally run such a program is a two part system - 1) random testing (which, imho, should include teachers and admin as well as students) and 2) 'for cause' - testing if you violated a specific, written criteria - i.e. caught with alcohol or drugs, miss school x number of times, etc. You can't just do it because 'I think he needs testing'.

OTOH, I don't know that it is really that useful a program in a HS, but dunno....

Disruptive kids, bullies, school skippers are valid reasons to go ahead and pop those kids with a drug test. that's not profiling, ,that's noticing a negative trend and making a move on it.

If you do random tests, you will still hit legl troubles because going to public school and playing sports is not mandatory, it's voluntary since it's a public school paid for by tax money, so they can voluntarily deny the tests if they so choose. Teachers, coaches and admin on the other hand are HIRED, so they should be the ones that have the random tests on.

If it was a private school, you'd have a valid reason to do it. .

[BatWing]

Originally Posted by mamacatnv

Targeting a group to test removes the meaning of random

school skippers, bullies and class disrupters are not targeted groups. they are negative aspects of kids lives. and a healthy intervention is better than a random blanket test.

what if a hoodlum sneaks crack/meth or weed into an honor students bag? whose in trouble? the hoodlum or the honor student? see the slippery slope here?

You have to focus on kids behavior in school. a random blanket test will do nothing to curb the activity. because most drug dealers don't smoke their supply, so if you test the druggies, you catch them, but you still haven't caught the distributor yet. so the drugs keep coming in.

[BatWing]

And let's not forget about these reckless Cops out here shooting kids and dogs claiming self defense all the time and gettin' off without a warning? I think those Cops that shoot to kill should be tested immediately because who knows what they were on when they pulled that trigger.

I'm actually in the process of doing an Open Records request with Wilco and Travis county to see how many Cops were actually drug tested after they shot and killed a person or a dog.

For their sake, they better hope they did them.

[sheaday]

Using your words- define what a school skipper is. How many times would a child need to skip school? Define a bully- someone who is mean to another kid that you heard about through "so and so's" mom?

And hoodlums sneaking crack into an honor student's bag?....goodness that sounds like something from a Lifetime movie.

[EzPeterson]

Originally Posted by BatWing

Parents have to focus on kids behavior in school. a random blanket test will do nothing to curb the activity.

Here. Fixed this part for you.

because most drug dealers don't smoke their supply, so if you test the druggies, you catch them, but you still haven't caught the distributor yet. so the drugs keep coming in.

Totally. completely, horribly wrong. Particularly when you're talking about HS students.

[BatWing]

Originally Posted by sheaday

Using your words- define what a school skipper is. How many times would a child need to skip school? Define a bully- someone who is mean to another kid that you heard about through "so and so's" mom?

Easy -


School skipper - misses more than 10-12 days a month. a pattern is created. I used to be one of these until my dad shut me down.

Bully - Always starting mess with other kids to intimidate or controll them or just to bother them. These types are easy to spot.

Classs disrupters - needs no explanation.


These 3 types are sure to bag some social misfits. which is the aim anyway.

And hoodlums sneaking crack into an honor student's bag?....goodness that sounds like something from a Lifetime movie.

Only if you live in a bubble. Some schools even have daycares now...REALLY? WOW?!! who knew?? sounds like a lifetime movie too

[scm53]

Originally Posted by BatWing

You have to focus on kids behavior in school. a random blanket test will do nothing to curb the activity.

Actually, the experience when random testing has been instituted is exactly the opposite. When the military started it in the eighties, drug use was cut by 85%. The reason is, the casual user now faced a credible downside. They also had an excuse to resist the social pressure, which is real.

I understand that the "activity" you refer to is the sale. But if demand goes down by 85%, how much sale activity do you think will survive?