Are your kids subject to random drug testing at school?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Are your kids subject to random drug testing at school? Mine are. (Parents have to sign a consent every year.) Texas allows it although there has been a lot of backlash for spending so much money to find so little.</p>

<p>I guess our school started it - we even made the cover of Newsweek a few years back over a steroids scandal. They started random drug testing but to be “fair” they test kids in any EC - band, debate, sports, drill team, cheer, choir (a debater on steriods would be a terrifying thing.) Since then they have found no steriods, very few street drugs. It’s not all that surprising because it’s doubtful that the big stoners in the school would be cheerleaders or soccer players.</p>

<p>Seems sort of pointless…what started out as a search for steroid use has turned into an expensive process that patrols only one segment of the student population.</p>

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<p>Ha! Not only do they drug test here, they actually applied for and won a grant so they could use the hair test (more$$$) on ALL athletes at the start of every season and follow that with random urine tests for the rest of the season. In addition, if a student has a parking permit for school gounds they have to sign an agreement to allow random drug testing. </p>

<p>I don’t think they have not found much.</p>

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<p>Missypie - we were right behind you in our PA school. We live in the part of PA that is between “Philadelphia and Pittsburgh” We are friends with the superintendent who initiated the move and I think his intentions were good, but I agree wholeheartedly that the kids who are using are, for the most part, not the ones who are engaged in all sorts of EC’s. I just think it is an example of unintended consequences - as well as an effort to look like they are “cracking down” on kids who are abusing. </p>

<p>I have to admit I would not have handled it well as a student. I was just ornery enough that I know they would have found some kind of highly unusual substance in my urine if I had been asked to provide a sample! Packet of sugar, salt, etc. </p>

<p>First chair cellist was tested three times when DD was junior/senior. If there is anything worst than a debater on steroids, it’s a cellist!</p>

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<p>LOL, I’m imagining this girl with a sleeveless long black orchestra dress, showing off her muscular arms as she bows…</p>

<p>It’s hard to figure out what drugs would “enhance performance” of some of these ECs…Is there something a tenor can take to make sure he reaches his high notes at all state auditions?</p>

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<p>estrogen???</p>

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<p>How funny, you might be right. I wonder if that’s on the list of substances that will get a HS guy suspended.</p>

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<p>missypie, no random drug testing at our school but I would have no problem with it. Ours must be different from yours because our baseball players and cheerleaders are the major partiers. They only get kicked off the squads if they get caught. The kids think it is a big joke.</p>

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<p>Oh, we have our partiers among the athletes and cheerleaders, but more alcohol than drugs. But it bothers me that what started out as a search for perfomance enhancing drugs has just turned into a search for any drug use…but only for kids in ECs.</p>

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<p>I am subject to random drug testing as an “athletic department participant” due to my major. </p>

<p>In Illinois, they now have random drug testing for all IHSA participants year-round. It just started during the 2008-2009 school year where the IHSA was drug testing during postseason competition, but the Illinois legislature passed a bill to provide the funds for the IHSA to drug test at any time during the year…</p>

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<p>My kids’ private school drug tested everyone, rotating randomly over a 2 year period. You could opt out, but few parents did. Everything was confidential (except amongst the kids themselves, of course), but they didn’t have a true zero tolerance policy, either. Pot was the most common thing found, and I don’t think much of that has turned up after the first 4 kids were unable to graduate with their class - repeat offenders.</p>

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<p>At my sons’ high school, it became “if you give a mouse a cookie…” time–and the funniest part was that, following the rule of unintended consequences, the “wrong” kids got in trouble. The results were hilarious except for the people involved!</p>

<p>The issues in our high school were pot and alcohol. No surprises there. Certain parents were vehement in wanting extensive testing, all the time, especially of the rowdy athletes, who were quite the target of one family in particular.(their child was at the time a freshman) And, like in most schools, students who are active in one activity tend to be active in more than one activity…so those parents pushed to have lots of testing , all the time, for all kinds of activities. But only the athletes had consequences…first offense, out for the semester; second offense, out for 2 semesters; third offense, no more sports ever.</p>

<p>Our school now breathalizes at all school dances, and often at the entry to football games, soccer games and basketball games. But only athletes were tested because they had the only signed consents on file!</p>

<p>But that wasn’t enough for these particular parents. Every time they heard of a team party, they called the authorities to make sure the kids were tested. They didn’t realize that kids aren’t going to drink at a team party during season (athletes aren’t perfect, but they aren’t stupid either)…so no one was ever caught.</p>

<p>Anyway, the parents of the athletes got tired of their children being the only targets and the policy was amended to include participants in all extracurricular activities…participants of any were subject to testing at any time. The parents of all participants had to sign consents or the kids couldn’t participate…orchestra, band, yearbook, newpaper, drama…even NHS.</p>

<p>Fast forward to the cast party after the final dress rehearsal for the musical…more than half the cast had positive breathalizer results, and the sophomore son of the parents mentioned above also was found to have a baggie of weed in his pocket. Some members of the pit orchestra also tested positive. Consequences applied.</p>

<p>Disclaimer: My oldest son was an athlete and EIC of the school paper and in NHS
My middle son was an athlete, on the paper and yearbook,in the art club and
did scenery for all the plays and musicals.
My youngest son was an athlete, an editor on the paper, and sang in the top<br>
vocal ensemble.</p>

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<p>I assume that the cast party was at the school, right? They weren’t testing kids at a private home, were they?</p>

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<p>It was at school. A lot of kids came with alcohol in their pop cans/ water bottles. Idiots! </p>

<p>However, the soccer team once was tested at a party at the back room of a pizza place…the kids consented because they were afraid not to. It was a party after they won the district championship and all the kids went out to celebrate together…and that one set of parents were absolutely certain there would be drinking! So they called the vice principal who came to the party with the police and the breathalyzer!</p>

<p>To this day I can’t figure out why they hated athletes so much…it was like a vendetta. All I can think is maybe one of the parents or their son was terrorized by neighborhood athletes at some time? I don’t know.</p>

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<p>No random drug testing at our HS.</p>

<p>And I would vehemently object to it if there were. Innate totalitarianism on display, is my opinion.</p>

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<p>I don’t think I’ve actually ever even heard of random drug testing of students ANYwhere, let alone at the schools my kids attended.</p>

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<p>From what I gather, there are two types of programs in Texas. The first is through the UIL (the state high school athletics governing body). Those tests are statewide, but just for steriods and just athletes. Then, I think that any school district can implement their own testing program, which I guess is what I’ve been seeing - any kids in ECs, any drugs.</p>

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<p>Missy, why is it only kids who participate in ECs? I’m curious. I understand the steroid issue with athletes but if they’re going to test kids in other ECs, why not everyone?</p>

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<p>ECs are privileges; going to school is a right. They can force a parent to sign a consent form by making it policy that without the consent form, no EC for the kid.</p>

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<p>I think the rationale oftesting the kids in ECs is that EC particiption is a privilege, not a right, so to participate your parents have to consent to testing. I don’t think that a public school could require parental consent to drug testing as a condition to the student attending school.</p>

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<p>Thank you to both of you for the explanation.</p>