Local high school to begin random drug testing

[redheadbaker]

Thoughts? 

St. Joseph's Prep to begin random drug testing

PHILADELPHIA - February 19, 2013 (WPVI) -- St. Joseph's Prep High School is adding a drug test for students beginning next month.

Students and parents were given notice about the testing 90 days ago.

Some are not happy with the new rules and others ask if drug testing even makes a difference.

"The drug testing, I don't mind it because I personally don't use any of that, but I do think it is an invasion of our privacy," senior Brendan Donnelly said.

"I would say most students are not with it; I would say a small minority would be for the testing," senior Tom Coar said.

Principal Jason Zazyczny and Director of Counseling Bill Gillespie say they did not make this decision lightly and they say it is not to punish but to protect the students.

"This is their formative years, their high school years, teenage years and the more we can help them to make better decisions we're going to do that and we feel by instituting a policy like this, this will help them in their future," Zazyczny said.

"While people may not agree with our stance, I at least would hope they know we have the best interest of the students in mind." Gillespie said.

Starting next month, 10 students will be chosen by lottery twice a month and their hair will tested.

Urine tests show drug use in the past days to weeks, but hair tests can show if someone has used drugs over the past several months.

Sandra DiWilliams, a licensed professional counselor who specializes in adolescent addiction, says some studies show random drug testing prevents drug use, while others show it doesn't make a difference.

But she says it does give some teens an easy excuse to say no, despite mounting peer pressure.

"Some kids can use their sports teams as an excuse or they have a pending scholarship. Some kids don't have excuses that they think are good so drug testing can be a good one," DiWilliams said.

If a student fails the test, he will not be punished, but will have to go to counseling and submit more tests, paid for by his parents.

If a student fails twice, he could get expelled, but the principal says it will be a case by case decision.

abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/health&id=8998911

[meshaliuknits]

I thought the random searches by drug sniffing dogs we had in HS were bad.

This school/district has a lot of spare money on it's hands. I wonder if the results will be FL? Is this a private school?

[hopecounts]

Is this a public or private school?
If it's private I don't like it but they aren't required to go there.
If it's public not OK since the kids have no choice but to be there.

[josieposy]

They don't need parental permission to do this?

[redheadbaker]

It's a private school. ETA: It's run by Jesuits, and not part of the School District of Philadelphia or the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

[froggy76]

This school is private and upscale.

My public HS drug-tested when I was a senior 15 years ago. They couldn't test every student, so they decided that students had to agree to the drug testing in order to participate in an extracurricular activity. There was an initial screening at the beginning of the year and then students were occasionally called out of class for random testing. Huge waste of taxpayer money just to find out that (shocker) hardly any of the kids in National Honor Society, scholastic bowl, sports, etc, were doing drugs.

[marissa]

Our district here does random testing on those doing extra curricular activities. Waste of time and money. Several students came forward asking them to change their policy. The looked into it, polled the people in our town who agreed to stop it, but they decided to continue anyway.

[munkii]

My public HS began drug testing in 1996, and they're still doing it today. They also called it voluntary but required it of all students participating in extracurriculars, driver's ed, students who drove to school, and students who wanted to leave campus during lunch.

I never heard stories of tests coming back positive, but I'm not really sure what the school could do about it anyway. It just seems wasteful of time, energy, and money.

[jln]

What a waste of money.  

[sushi]

My private school didn't drug test, but they had drug dogs on occasion. I considered that an appropriate compromise. They also weren't quick to blame. I knew people whose cars had been caught, but they were all cleared. One was a tennis star, so they assumed the tennis balls were to blame (he was a total stoner). Another had a car that had previously been a rental, so she was cleared, and that was probably deserved.