DRUG TESTING FORCES STUDENTS TO PROVE INNOCENCE

Dear Editor,

I am writing in regards to the Yreka High School drug testing article,
which reported on data presented at a school board meeting. The data
showed an increase in adolescent substance abuse between the years of
1990 to 1996.

I would like to point out that those statistics are from 14 to 20
years ago. Current high school students were actually born during
these years. We weren't teenagers then or responsible for the
increase. I really don't understand why such outdated information is
being used to push drug testing onto the YHS student body.

If you look at current statistics, you will see the trend of teen
illicit drug use generally increases from 1991 to 1999 and then
decreases from 1999 to 2009 (National YRBS).

Current students are actually a part of decreasing teen substance
abuse. Additionally, current YHS students are making a positive impact
in our community and world.

We have raised test scores at YHS. We volunteer in local community
service, teach agriculture to Siskiyou County fourth graders, coach
younger sports teams, work as life guards at city pools, raise quality
livestock sold annually at the fair, work as high school tutors, teach
Sunday School classes, work as camp counselors, help the disabled,
collect food for local food banks and more. We reach out to people in
need worldwide by combating global slavery, combating human
trafficking, helping impoverished in third world countries, serving in
mission trips to third world countries and more.

We do all of this with increased homework loads and greater sport
practice demands. Mandatory drug testing forces students into proving
their innocence. It focuses only on the negative rather than getting
behind students and empowering our generation in the force for good we
are. Personally, I find mandatory drug testing of students to be very
disrespectful and suppressive. I'd rather be believed in as opposed to
being convicted without having done anything wrong.

By Joshua Hall