HS Drug Screening

[wes_c_addle]

Guess I wasn't clear enough in my post.....I was not suggesting that all supplements were illegal. I am saying that TSSAA has not taken a stance on drug testing and I am suggesting there is a reason for that ....no one who is in a position of authority really wants to comment on. The harmless supplements are not the problem here. The drugs i am referring to are steriods and other illegal drugs that are being used all over the state by high school and college players with the unspoken and sometimes outright approval of their coaches in most cases and even parents in some cases.

 

Since you made this vague response to a very serious issue i would think that you are either not aware of this problem or you are part of the denial problem.

 

The people who are involved with this understand the risks but ignore them in the name of competion. Again, legal harmless supplements are not what is being discussed here ....and oh by the way just because something is legal doesn't mean it is harmless and not dangerous to the body and the health or young kids high school or college age. A good example would be tabacco products of all kinds.

Another good example would be soda.

[cbg]

why do we not random drug test every student, including teachers, administators, coaches, etc.?

 

You are so correct. Drugs are a problem in our society and teachers, coaches and adminastrators are part of society. Any coach worth his salt should be tested with his athletes. If you are not using drugs you don't have anything to worry about!

Edited June 9, 2006 by cbg

[catsbackr]

why do we not random drug test every student, including teachers, administators, coaches, etc.?

Because it is against the law.

 

Do you really want officials to show up at your child's school, line everyone, including teachers, administrators, etc. up and begin testing? Would you like officials to come to your place of work and do the same? Someone said that if you're not doing drugs you have nothing to fear. That is weak at best. Would you like officals to shut down the Interstate and perform drug testing on the highways?

 

Be careful what rights you choose to give up, you just might not ever get them back again.

[worthyone]

I have taken at least three drug tests in my lifetime ... all for starting jobs... I never felt like my rights were violated. (passed all of them)

 

Maybe I'm missing something... what's so bad about asking athletes or students to pee in a cup a couple times a year?

 

Or do you want to wait for one to overdose and then blame the school for not being pro-active?

[catsbackr]

I have taken at least three drug tests in my lifetime ... all for starting jobs... I never felt like my rights were violated. (passed all of them)

 

Maybe I'm missing something... what's so bad about asking athletes or students to pee in a cup a couple times a year?

 

Or do you want to wait for one to overdose and then blame the school for not being pro-active?

Passing a drug test as a condition of employment is nothing new, everyone I hire for my company has to pass a drug test. However, they know going in that they will have to pass a drug test. No surprises.

 

You are missing something. These are children or young adults and they do have certain rights. A mass drug test a your local high school violates those rights.

 

Do I want an overdose and then blame the school? The school is not their parents. Maybe if the parents were a liitle more involved, maybe they would have noticed something, changing behaivor, mood swings, etc. that would have not only prevented an overdose but usage altogether.

 

Don't ask the schools to be the parents. Be involved with your kids, take notice of their behaivor and changes in their behaivor, talk about drug usage with them and ways to achieve their goals without drugs.

 

Your post over simplifies this problem and a solution to this problem can be found without asking the schools to take over as parents of the children or trampeling on our rights.

[WCHS_Wildcats_#2]

Like my preacher said this morning in church...ppl say that taking the bible out of schools is ruining kids today...thats not true its not there responsibility to teach the bible and this is kinda the same thing cause its the parents job to teach/raise there own children. School is there strickly to teach the children in books not about the bible nor not to give drug tests. Its the parents job to do these things and if they do not then place the blame upon them not the schools

[rcpatriot]

catsbackr, no, I don't want to lose any more rights than I already have, but, I also don't want to lose any more kids because of a lack of concern of individuals that think that if "it's not my kid, it's not my problem". We aren't talking about a "mass" testing, we're talking about random drug testing throughout the school. Yes, these are kids and if you'll check the statistics, there are more kids on drugs than adults. Have you walked the halls of a school lately?

 

I do agree that parents need to be more involved with the "who, whats, and where's" of their children. I also believe that the schools have been "charged" to protect our children from harm while they are in their care. Whether that be someone harming themselves with drugs, or selling it. I agree that we have laws on the books that already take care of taking and distributing illegal drugs, but I don't think that the schools are doing enough. We have teachers and administrators that know that a kid is on, taking, or distributing drugs, that aren't doing anything about it. Is this a vast majority of teachers and administrators, no.

 

My point is this, we are all responsible. I don't care if you are a parent, teacher, coach, minister, janitor, etc., if you want to "look the other way" when you see a kid doing something that could potentially harm them, shame on you. I don't expect the school system to teach our kids about morals or drugs, but, I do expect them to provide a safe environment for them to learn academics. If drugs are being dealt or used in the school, that is an unsafe environment.

 

Let me ask you this, most kids start school at age 5, and graduate at 18. From the time the school day starts, then after-school related activities, how much time are the parents actually involved with their kids? The majority of a kids life (waking hours) is spent at school or doing a school related activity. During this time, our kids are the responsibility of the teachers, coaches, administrators, etc. As a parent, it's my responsibility to teach my kids the difference between right and wrong and trust when they are out of my sight that they will make the right choices. When they don't make the right choices, and they are out of my sight, who's going to correct them? Wait, their my kids, so they are only my responsibility, right?

[worthyone]

Hasn't the Supreme Court ruled that drug testing of students is legal?

 

Are you saying that students have the right to get high on the weekends and juice up for football games?

 

If they don't, then why don't people have the right to check to make sure they aren't doing that?

 

If I had a child in high school playing athletics, I'd want my son or daughter to be tested. I'd even pay for it myself. It's not because I wouldn't trust them. But I too was a kid once and know peer pressures of kids.

 

Sometimes you have to get off the soapbox of taking away perceived rights for the greater good. I'd say this is a greater good if it was able to stop a problem before it got out of hand.

[wes_c_addle]

Hasn't the Supreme Court ruled that drug testing of students is legal?

 

Are you saying that students have the right to get high on the weekends and juice up for football games?

 

If they don't, then why don't people have the right to check to make sure they aren't doing that?

 

If I had a child in high school playing athletics, I'd want my son or daughter to be tested. I'd even pay for it myself. It's not because I wouldn't trust them. But I too was a kid once and know peer pressures of kids.

 

Sometimes you have to get off the soapbox of taking away perceived rights for the greater good. I'd say this is a greater good if it was able to stop a problem before it got out of hand.

I don't think it is necessary to advise most people in this area of the country about relinquishing rights for the "greater good". We seem to have had no problem with that recently. As for stopping a problem before it gets out of hand, I would say that if random drug testing at high schools is a legitimate option, then the problem has already crossed that bridge.

Edited June 12, 2006 by wes_c_addle

[Cubs05SC]

From what I heard its not that schools dont want to to do it, its the money. Its like 100$ each test to each kid. That racks up and most schools or school systems cannot afford that. Period. But it should be done. Gov't pays in my opinion.

[Cowboys Up]

What about the effect of a false positive result on a kid? It seems to me that a false positive result would be devastating to a child not to mention a child's reputation as a sportsman. The doubt would always be there if there, even if the false positive were proven to be false.

 

BTW, I'm not ready to give up any more rights for my child or myself for the greater good.

[redandwhiteforever]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

mandatory drug testing for all high school athletes would be to exspencive. I hope they do it, just doubt it will happen.

Edited June 12, 2006 by redandwhiteforever