Posted on 12/05/2002 1:05:09 PM PST by Just another Joe
4 students fail nicotine part of city drug tests
None fail alcohol or drug portions
By Bayne Hughes
DAILY Education Writer
hughes@decaturdaily.com · 340-2432
Decatur City Schools had their first drug test failures during November's random tests, but not for drugs or alcohol.
According to Supervisor for Safety and Alternative Education Phil Hastings, four students failed the tobacco portion of the random tests given to students participating in competitive extracurricular activities.
"All of the students admitted to it (smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco), and are taking steps to stop using it," Hastings said.
The penalties for positive nicotine use are not as harsh as the penalties for drugs and alcohol. School officials notify the student's parents or guardians and the sponsor of the student's activity for a first violation. The major consequence is the student must participate in the monthly random drug tests for the remainder of the school year.
A second failure would require the student to participate in tobacco education classes. A student would not be suspended from participating in the activity until the third positive test.
In contrast, a student would be immediately suspended from an activity on the first failure for illegal drugs or alcohol until a negative retest. The student would also have to attend mandatory substance abuse counseling.
Hastings said 79 high school students, with 40 at Austin and 29 at Decatur, took the November tests. This is the second month for the tests and, so far, none of the students failed the drug or alcohol portions.
"I'm not surprised that we haven't had any, but I won't be surprised if we have any test positive," Hastings said.
"Most of these kids are athletes and we told them in advance of our plans. Most of these students usually meet expectations, but at some point we will have some fail."
Cross section
Hastings said he was pleased with cross section of students chosen for the tests for the second straight month.
"We got a wide selection of students from all backgrounds, all grades and all activities," Hastings said.
Let's try and see if they float with large rocks attached to them.
If they float, they're devils :)
Probably not. I bet the argument you'd be given is "extracurricular activities are a privilege, not a requirement". Of couse, that's BS.
Nicotene? What's next: caffeine, ibuprofin, aspirin, obesity, too much sugar? The potential to get personal information about potential medical problems is not a good thing.
As far as individual freedoms go, I'm very afraid. Nobody should have to give up their right to privacy to be on the Track Team or whatever. And redoctrination classes? It's scary.
If they were, it would assure the policy never changed. It would only leave the congressional jobs open to people who support and can pass such testing. In Georgia they have made it so a person has got to be paid up in his taxes to run. In effect no tax protestor can even run for office now. All office holders will be in support of taxes from now on.
What about second hand smoke?
Last time I checked cigarettes were legal in 50 states. Most states require 21 years of age to buy, but I've never seen a teenager arrested for smoking.
SMOKING IS LEGAL. What are the tobacco police going to do next?
Extracurricular activities are funded by my tax dollars, not your money or your decision. You p.c. police are out of control. If I fund it you don't have the basis for denying my children's participation.
You're probably right but I don't think that a student wanting to participate in extracurricular activities should be held to a different standard than a student that doen't want to participate.
I'm against drug testing as a whole and random drug testing in particular. There is too much room for abuse of the process.
Pretty soon it will be for "Hoppe's Number 9". This is what happens when you allow the evil that is the DARE program into your schools.I personally know of parents who were called in to their daughters school to "discuss a problem",and when they got there the problem turned out to be that their daughters had informed on them for smoking in their own home,and in the presence of their children. They got a short lecture about how this was abusive to their children,and that they needed to go outside to smoke. This is only ONE small step from arrest for child abuse,and this WILL happen in the future. The stage has already been set.
The only "sweet" part about this particiluar case is that the woman was a cop herself. For some strange reason she doesn't seem to be as big a fan of the DARE program as she used to be.
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