Drug testing high school students doesn't work. Really, it doesn't.

Ohio long ago started random drug testing of high school students. (4.00 / 1)

   It is a silly and intrusive practice and I at first refused to go along with it.  But my own three children being very active at school convinced me to go along to get along........  I regret now not having taken more of a stand against it.  But it was already Ohio law.  So did I want to be the cause of my children having to leave activities they loved to fight the legal battle.........  I chose not to. I mean my sons were all state in their beloved sports and went on to play ball in college.  
It was a bit too much of a sacrifice to ask of them to take a principled stand against this idiotic Ohio law. The boys won me over to that fact.

  But short story.

  Once I signed permission for the testing. I started noticing that my own two sons were being tested about every other month.  Because they would bring home a permission slip so often I blew my stack.  Marched into the school and asked what the hell is going on here.  .............  You all said this drug testing would be random and infrequent and I know both of my sons have been tested three times this year alone.

  After a lot of excuses the principal finally threw his hands up in defeat and said as far as your sons go it's the Athletic director and coaches that decide which kids to test so lets get them both in here. ............  What was their excuse for over testing my sons?  The Athletic director and coaches told me they were testing my sons and a couple other boys so often because they knew they weren't on any drugs.  .............  That's right my sons and a couple others like them were safe bets to pass the test clean.  Since the coaches knew they were clean and would pass they were the ones taking turns being tested to keep others from being thrown off the team that might fail.
   So rather than supposedly ""randomly"" choosing other players on the teams that actually might fail the test they were choosing players they knew were drug free. ............  To get around the purpose of the test.

   Test rules stated in Ohio that if a player or student tests positive they could not compete or remain in the extra curricular until after counseling and a clean drug retest.

   Point being ............  what is the point?
  None at all.  Schools , coaches, administrators find ways around this when they want to keep their teams or band full for a upcoming competition .  

  And alternately the article is right.......... to appear to be following the law they stick it to kids who are not valuable to school events. Got a kid on the school newspaper that looks like he may smoke a little weed...........  They will go after him.  While trying to find ways to protect the athletes.

   Student drug testing asks for such discrimination.
Mr Baur makes the case that he thinks people that advocate such things mean well...............  who cares what they mean?  The road to hell is paved with good intentions the old saying goes.

 Just like Sarah Palin the loon trying to ban birth control information from public schools.  Such people are destructive to society as a whole and indeed do damage to many.  N0 better example of that than Palin being trailed by her pregnant daughter. .................  So unlike Mr. Baur I do not see such attempts as well meaning.   The ignorant and under educated did enough damage to this nation under Bush that I no longer see them as just annoyances. I see them as the real threat to any progression of our society they really are.  

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by: wvpeach @ Wed Apr 29, 2009 at 16:47:13 PM UTC