Drug tests are the new exams for high school students

Throughout the school year, most students will have some up and downs in there academics. Along the way, they may seek afterschool classes or in-house tutoring. This allows a student time to increase their grade by the end of the school year. At the end, there are the dreaded exams. With most exams, there is no repeat. A student doesn’t have time to build their grade up, from a bad exam score. As if basic education exams weren’t enough, some schools are leaning towards a new exam: drug tests.

The use of drugs have been a hot topic for the past few years. Everything, from the death of recreational drugs to the legalization of marijuana. Although the use of drugs has never been overlooked, there has been a lot more light being shined on the subject. As with any drug, legalization means that people have better access to the drug. Whether the drug is prescribed or not, it is possible for anyone to easily grab a hold of a drug from someone or somewhere. And, this is the area where schools are attempting to draw the line.

Some high schools have already began to test their students. In hopes of preventing any type of recreational drug use, schools like Maryville City School are performing random tests on various students. Their primary focus are the students that drive to school, those that play on one of the school’s sports teams, and the cheerleaders for those sports teams. The school’s administration feels these are the students that have best access to illegal drugs. This has led to schools to using independent labs to conduct their tests, while some schools have taken it upon themselves to conduct the tests. And, this is where the students’ parents have drawn the line.

Although the decision to perform their own tests may be cost efficient, some parents believe that the tests being conducted are an act of discrimination and focused on certain students. In an outrage, parents are fighting for the rights of their children. Some parents have went as far as to file lawsuits against the school’s administration, like the lawsuits filed by parents in Chicago Heights, Illinois. The parents in Chicago Heights complained that the tests were performed with flaws, which caused four students to be expelled. It was said that the students initially tested negative with an independent lab, but positive with school’s tests.

This has led some to question the need for drug tests in schools. While there have been reports about inaccurate information being recorded, there are also those that see the benefits of having drug tests. Since schools have been leaning towards random drug tests of their students, there have been discoveries of students that were intoxicated while attending school. This type of information has been very helpful, because it creates prevention and safety for the other students. Being able to discover a drug problem in its early stages, can prevent someone from battling with a lifelong addiction. At the same time, it protects the students that were unaware of the situation. It is possible that students could be exposed to the illegal drugs and eventually use the drugs themselves. Another prevention is a student being a victim of unnecessary violence. With the many reports of school shootings in the past few years, the possibility of having someone attending class while under the influence is a high risk.

Due to the issues that could stem from adolescent students using drugs, schools are taking any steps necessary to counteract the problem. More and more schools are acquiring the necessary drug test cups to perform their own testing. For most teachers, the good outweighs the bad. They feel that there is much more to lose by not taking the necessary steps to fight against the use of illegal drugs.

In Maryville board members and community leaders have been very supportive of the decision to perform drugs tests on the school’s students. One Maryville community leader, Candy Morgan feels that this program will be helpful for those students that currently battle with drug use. She believes that the program would show a student how they can say no, while giving them a reason to say no. One of the board members second it by stating the many privileges that are given to students. Extracurricular activities and having the opportunity to drive to school are privileges that a student has. If the school has to strip a student of their privileges to prevent the use of drugs, the community leaders are all for it. They believe that the punishment, now, will definitely pay off in the near future.
While the pros and cons are definitely noticeable, it remains to be seen what the next steps will be as more schools fight to keep drugs out of their facilities.