STUDENTS SUBJECTED TO RANDOM DRUG TESTING

Middle And High Schools Should Adopt New Policy To Combat Growing Problem

It seems like kids these days are growing up too quickly. At the
risk of sounding like an old lady at the age of 23, I have to admit
that I think young people are engaging in sexual activity and the
use of drugs and alcohol way earlier than my peers did when I was in
middle and high school. Drugs and alcohol existed in the lives of
some middle-school aged students when I was younger, but they
weren't as prevalent as they seem to be in many schools
today. Because of the changing patterns in society and
the activities of younger generations, school policy alterations
need to be made to accommodate.

An article from www.msnbc.com in late January stated that the White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced it will hold
four regional summits to promote random student drug testing in
public middle and high schools. The program requires children to
submit to random drug testing if they want to participate in
competitive extracurricular activities like sports or debate. It has
already been implemented in nearly 1,000 middle and high schools
across the country and has proven thus far to be quite a controversial topic.

It would be difficult for someone to come up with an idea better
than this policy to combat drug use in middle and high schools. Many
students enjoy participating in athletics and other competitive
extracurricular activities, and if they know there is the chance of
being randomly selected for a drug test, they will be less likely to
engage in behavior that will get them removed from those clubs or
teams. Participating in extracurriculars is seen as a privilege,
and if students know there is a possibility of that being taken away
they will, in most cases, act in accordance with the rules.

A similar random drug testing policy takes place in the military,
and it has proven to reduce the amount of drug use. When the
military first began the testing approximately 20 years ago, they
found 27 percent tested positive for drugs and the number has now
shrunk to 1.5 percent.

Don't get me wrong. I am in no way, shape or form saying that we
should treat middle and high school students like members of the
U.S. military. I simply think we need stricter rules regarding drug
use to produce more productive and competent classes of high school
graduates in the future. Many universities in the UW System are
seeking to increase enrollment as part of their future growth plans,
but how will they be able to do so if the graduates of Wisconsin
public schools are unprepared for college due to the drug-ridden
activities they chose to participate in during middle and/or high
school? For years statistics have shown that kids who partake in
illegal activities and abuse drugs are less likely to receive good
grades and continue their educations. It's most certainly not a
secret and it's not a statistic that will likely change anytime soon.

While I think the random drug testing policy is the best recent
solution to a growing drug problem, I don't think adopting it in the
majority of our middle and high schools is going to get rid of the
drug problems completely. There are always going to be students who
choose not to participate in extracurricular activities because they
would rather smoke marijuana or the new trendy drug. There are also
going to be parents who disapprove of the policy if their child is
singled out and tests positive for drugs. Both students and parents
need to realize that the consequences for students who fail random
drug tests definitely aren't as harsh as they could be. It's not
like the policy is suggesting that every student who tests positive
should be sent to juvenile hall or be subject to consequences
regarding his or her education. The penalties could be worse.

Random drug testing in schools will let students know that if they
make poor decisions regarding drugs, certain privileges will be
taken away from them. It will not only be a deterrent for drug use
among students, it will be a way to reach out to those who do abuse
drugs by identifying them and being able to offer help and support.