Protesting Drug Testing at My School.

[~ Kuroi ~]

My school is a small school, which plans to employ mandatory hair testing three times a year, from the testing company Psychemedics. According to their shop, a home hair testing kit will go for $60.00. Now, we have 500 students, that equals to $30,000. While i'm sure they have discounts for schools, it's probably true that they're spending no less than $50,000 a year on drug testing.

Drug testing, in my opinion, isn't nesecarry ( I know it's spelled wrong, my computer's dictionary is fucked up, and my spelling skills suck). If schools expect us to make out own choices whether or not we lie, cheat, steal, or fight, why shouldn't they expect us to do the same with drugs?

My point is, if they can expect us not to do other illegal activities, they should expect us not to use drugs. Some expectations may be... wrong, but at least they'll have the opportunity to use drugs if they feel the need. In my opinion, a few hits of Marijuana to see what it's like isn't criminal, it's mind-expanding.

In fact, one of the big things for my school is an "Honor Code", which trusts us not to any "wrongful" activities. Why shouldn't we employ the same with drugs?

Therefore, at the beginning of the year, i plan to bring up drug testing to a student council member, who will be representing a group we've already put together. I plan to explain rationally that we could much rather be spending the drug-testing money on new facilities for our school, or training for teachers. As well, as a proposed "honor code" for drugs. Remember, we're still in the very beginnings of our plans, so this is a rough outline and shouldn't be made final. I hope to get some tips for protest from you, and any suggestions.

Yes, i know this'll make me a prime target for drug testing. I've been clean for over 4 months, (just when i heard about drug testing). And i made sure everyone else is clean. We'll probably be shot down in our efforts quickly, but we have perseverance.
Thanks,

~ Kuroi ~

~ Kuroi ~ Reviewed by ~ Kuroi ~ on 07-05-2007. Protesting Drug Testing at My School. My school is a small school, which plans to employ mandatory hair testing three times a year, from the testing company Psychemedics. According to their shop, a home hair testing kit will go for $60.00. Now, we have 500 students, that equals to $30,000. While i'm sure they have discounts for schools, it's probably true that they're spending no less than $50,000 a year on drug testing. Drug testing, in my opinion, isn't nesecarry ( I know it's spelled wrong, my computer's dictionary is Rating: 5

[BoilerUp]

Good luck, man :thumbsup:

[Nailhead]

Is this a private school by any chance? If it is, something like drug testing is probably supported by the parents that pay for their kids tuition, so you would be better off changing their minds rather than school administrators. If it's not private, where do you live? What happens if you fail? They could never do this at my old high school because everybody would have failed haha

One thing you should include in your argument is that those drug tests most likely do not go over prescription drugs, and abuse of prescription drugs is becoming more and more popular - some say is the new marijuana, (click). It might be a good idea to at least bring this point up that prescription drug use is far more dangerous of an issue than smoking a plant.

Good luck, but you usually can never win fighting against your school. It's good you are staying clean yourself though, because regardless of what your own opinion is of using illegal drugs, a failed drug test would keep anybody important from paying any attention to what you have to say.

[psteve]

The main argument against drug testing, is that they do not test for impairment, only exposure.

[skatin_foo15]

Good luck man. Fighting a schools decision is really hard considering you have like zero rights at all. Just do everything very maturely thats your best bet.

[Kid Dynamite]

Your idea is very admirable. But schools are effectively a law unto themselves. If they want to test you they will...and theres very little you can do about it.

[imitator]

Start off with your plans to speak to the school/school board and such. There is a chance that it will work.

After that, starting hitting the PTO meetings. Get parents involved, let the public know the amount of money being spent on this program each year. Have your alternatives on hand to discuss at the meetings.

After that, if that doesnt work, start hitting the local papers. Get the story out to people outside your city, contact local news people, start up petitions... so on and so forth.

The more persistant and a pain in the ass you are about this, the better chance you have of getting things to work out the way you want it. Now sure, most schools would love publicity for mandated drug testing, makes them look good. The key here is to make it look like a bad idea. Find actual other programs in the school that are sorely lacking that could use this funding, and point it out. Start making it less about testing students, but more about it being better to appropriate the money elsewhere and find alternative methods to accomplish what the drug testing would.

You will really catch some steam if you can get some parents/adults behind you on this fight. The more parents, the better.

[MisterGreen]

wow this is really cool that you're doing this. all of the peoples advice seem like good ideas and if i come up with anything i'll deffinetly drop in to give some input! good luck man!

[~ Kuroi ~]

Yeah, my school is a private school. Thanks for all the advice. We plan to go to the Student Council, to get people aware of the possible negative outcomes of drug testing. Then, we plan to go straight to the Media. The PTO won't listen, they'll brand us as druggies, and we'll be banished from society for standing up for what we think is right. (Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights?).

Also, yeah, my school is lacking funding in major aspects. We all have brand new shiny apples, but we don't have an auditorium, not much of a 7th grade, or 6th grade department to speak of, and the teachers suck at teaching. Drugs aren't bad, the people who think they are are the evil ones. They've never done their research about everything that's positive about Marijuana. They've only seen the negative stuff, and tend to slap that on us without realizing the positives. For a bunch of kids, drugs was an intergal part of their lives, and they seemed to turn out fine. Look at some of your parents, i sure as hell know they were hippies, and they turned out okay (well, parents, i know. But by sociotey's standards...) Anyways, we need to fight against schools, just so we can smoke a joint, for godsake!
Thanks for support,
~Kuroi~

[JD1stTimer]

Also be aware that in the United States you have no right to say anything negative about any drug policies in school or out of school or at home or on the internet (At least that's the way I read the Bong Hits 4 Jesus decision). So evidently these GD MF pseudo-cons want to make sure that all children learn that you have all the free speech you want as long as it always supports government policies ARRGH I'm about to freaking have an aneurysm!!!!! Seriously I feel veins throbbing in my temples, my HEAD WILL EXPLODE SOON!!!!! :microwave: Sorry for flipping out but everyone from the ACLU to the ACLJ (Opposite sides of the political spectrum - ACLJ is Pat Robertson's legal advocacy group) was on the side of the student, and the court PROVED that it has COMPLETE and UTTER CONTEMPT for all constitutional rights, and HATES the PEOPLE of my country, and believe me, it's the same way in BOTH DEMICAN and REPUBLICRAT parties, the only good one is Ron Paul or the Libertarians, maybe Barney Frank or Dennis Kucinich (I don't know anything much about them) but all who go against the grain will be SHUT DOWN with full support of all the ignorant sports-and-war fanatics (Isn't it odd how the two ALMOST ALWAYS seem to go together) who wax patriotic even as their heroes pull their pants down and give them wedgies. Sorry, ranting...