Persuasive Essay: Drug Testing In Schools

To begin with, it is an invasion of privacy to the students at the school. It is their business, and the school administrators do not need to be invading the privacy of what kids/young adults are contributing to outside of school. I for one would not want anyone, (especially school administrators) invading my personal privacy, exactly why drug testing should not be allowed in public schools.

Drugs can result in teens not doing well in school, which can lead to lower academic opportunities and career options.

One of the reasons why having drug tests on student athletes in not beneficial because of the Cost of them. In the past years, America has spent a lot of money and fundings on drug testing. In the article “ Guilty Until Proven Innocent”, they said that George W. Bush has spent 23 million dollars on drug testing from federal funding (McLure). The thing that bothers people is that America is spending so much money on drug testing. Most of the time that people do drug testing, it's just a waste of time because most people are innocent. While the government is spending that money on drug testing, they could be spending that money on other beneficial things for the country. They could even give that money to the veterans who risked their life for the country that are now in poverty. In the same article, the University of Michigan conducted a survey and they found that drug use when testing and not testing were identical (McLure). This also shows that drug testing is a waste of time and that they are making an investment on something not beneficial. Even when the school advisors say it's not that much money, it all adds up across America. If the cost was way cheaper, drug tests would be a little more agreeable. Drug tests are a waste of time and are a waste of money. Lots of people just think that drug tests just say if someone is positive or if someone is negative. They never think what's going through students mind before and after the test.

Some people are discussing whether drug testing student athletes should be allowed in school or not, I think it should be allowed and here are some reasons why. Parents continue to argue with coaches saying that drug testing shouldn’t be allowed because it makes the children nervous and it makes it hard to focus on them. Some coaches agree that drug testing shouldn’t be allowed, they say that the kids can’t handle the pressure of the possibility of the results coming out incorrect. If students continue to take drug tests, I think it should be monthly based and not random so that they know when it is and it would no longer be random. If students had to take monthly based drug tests it would help the team as a whole because everyone would be healthy, it would also create a better community, and it also makes everything fairer.

The testing causes teens to become more aware and careful but it will not stop from them smoking. It is a waste of money and time because those kids are making their own decisions to resort to drugs. The government cannot make the decisions for the people only guide them in the right direction. The researches found that female rates of drug abuse went down in the high school community only in the schools with a “positive” environment. That shows that females who thought that what they were doing was wrong then had the resources to stop doing so because life got harder for those in a harsh environment since more pressure was put on to keep there actions under the table. People, especially youth, will do what they want to do no matter what. The best thing for the government to do is give students the ability to learn from whatever decision they make and use that tax money for something more productive for the nation. If the government really wants to see an improvement in the use of drugs in high schools then they should improve the environments and knowledge presented to the students about drug use. Once a student fails a random drug test their plan for their future can change extremely. Like me for instance, if one of our students failed a drug test at school then they would be asked to leave which means losing the opportunity to represent a highly respected team and would most likely lose a scholarship. That’s years of practice and

Testing kids will help the people who are doing them and people and try to help them quit and it can teach other kids that drugs can really harm you and get you into trouble. Although getting tested costs a lot of money, it will help kids and make the environment a lot safer for everyone around.

One may be astonished to discover that in 2012 “..about 17 percent of American high school students were drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day” and this number has remained relatively stagnant throughout the years (Kuczynski-Brown). The amount of students who take part in the illegal acts of drinking, smoking, and drug use has been difficult to combat. Students do not understand that these substances can result in harmful consequences down the road. This is why it is imperative that, as a society, we begin looking for solutions to defeat these harmful habits, and sometimes, addictions. The earlier we begin to inculcate the effects of these substances on the young, the better. That is why the prime-time to spread this message

Even though drug testing is very expensive, ALL high school’s athletes should be tested because drugs are bad for your health and very addictive. A simple drug test could save many lives. Many schools around deny the request to drug test their athletes for the simple conclusion that the cost of the testing would just be to expensive. I disagree whole heartedly on that because although it may be expensive, we could save so many lives by requiring drug tests to play sports. Many students have love for the game who would have no problem giving up drugs for the chance to play sports with drug tests and a little guidance.

“You want to get in there and plant these seeds of what’s out there and do prevention early.” Kids in middle school are exposed to so many things at an earlier age than they were 20 years ago. This could because the access of the drugs is so much easier these days with all of the social ​media, and cell phones. The counteraction of exposing them to the education and prevention of drugs will reduce the negative symptoms and results of drug use. Early drug testing would also send a message to kids that this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our schools. There are so many factors at risk with early drug experimentation by kids of such a young age, that drug testing in middle school is something that schools should really start

According to the New York Times great athletes were involved in drug unethical behavior over the past ten years. This brought a big attention to the schools across the nation to start drug testing student athletes. Giving this some thought school's drug testing students is a great idea.

Persuading kids to not do drugs is a tough subject to approach as parents and teachers. When it comes to kids being unhappy, they will more than likely hear that drugs bring happiness to them. With drug testing involved in high schools and middle schools. The students should see that it is no longer an option to do drugs in order for their own self happiness. Students can result to other options that are more acceptable to society, and not to mention activities that are legal. Although these kids may not think the best about the idea of drug testing; consequently, it will have to force them to find happiness by participating in sports, getting a job or socializing with their peers.

In the United States, 27.2 percent of high school student participated in illicit drug use. While this number has lowered in the past two decades, dug use among teens is still a large issue. To combat this problem many schools have opted to drug test their students. Schools do have the right to drug test their students but there are constitutional limits in which a school can require mandatory drug testing. The constitutional limits include; health risks and personal injury risks.

Often times the spike in drug use among students is noticeable in the junior year of high school. Once kids

However from the point of view of a teacher, parent or whoever is for the testing, it is done to protect the students. Many children or young adults that experiment with drugs do not understand what the drugs can do to their minds and bodies. With the testing schools will be able to determine which students need help and can better focus on treatment, and helping the student to understand the consequences of their actions not necessarily disciplinary but on the issue of health. As far as helping the students goes it is much easier to teach the students about drugs when it is known which students are doing them or have tried them. Time will not have to be wasted by explaining, "why drugs should not be taken" to a student that is taking them wile they could focus on treatment to deter the student from taking them.

The big controversy right now within the government and high schools is whether or not random drug testing should be legal in schools. There are many reasons why it should not be legalized, one reason being it goes against the fourth amendment. Why should we have testing in schools when many major health organizations oppose it? All it will do is make teens turn to other illegal and counterproductive things. These are many reasons why drug testing should not be allowed in high schools.