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Do you think schools should test their student for drugs, alcohol and nicotine? Do you think such tests would encourage students to stay away from drugs? Or do you worry these tests are an invasion of privacy, or that they might be ineffective?

In “Ohio High School Plans to Drug-Test All Students at Least Once a Year,” Derrick Bryson Taylor writes about Stephen T. Badin High School in Hamilton, Ohio. Starting in January, students at the high school will be tested at least once a year for illicit drugs, alcohol, nicotine and other banned substances:

Students are required to consent to the testing as a condition of their enrollment at the school, and potential consequences for violating the drug policy include suspension and expulsion, the letter said. Under the new guidelines, a first positive drug test alone would not necessarily result in disciplinary action, provided there are no other violations of the policy, like rules against intoxication during school hours or possession of drugs on campus. But a comprehensive intervention plan would be put into place after a second positive test, and expulsion might be recommended after a third.

The policy reflects a growing trend among U.S. schools and districts:

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study from 2016 said more than 37 percent of school districts had adopted a drug-testing policy. There seems to be an increase in similar programs across the country, Cindy Huang, assistant professor of counseling psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University, said in an interview on Thursday. The research to prove if drug testing is beneficial to students is mixed, according to the Professor Huang. “There’s really no clear indication that implementing mandatory drug testing will directly lead to better and reduced substance abuse rates,” she said. Parents across the country should not be concerned if their school begins a drug-testing program if it is “properly planned and then implemented,” Professor Huang said. In such cases, she said, it has the potential to work as prevention. She added that parents should be asking detailed questions about what happens if a child tests positive, whether testing will truly be conducted at random and in such a way that does not target specific children, and whether there will be programs in addition to drug testing that will promote awareness of substance use.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

What would happen if your school started testing all students for drugs, alcohol and nicotine? Would the results surprise school leaders? Would the policy likely change student behavior, in your opinion?

Does your school already test students for illegal substances? Are there rules about who can be tested and how many times they can be tested? Is there a clear policy for handling students who test positive?

Do you think drug testing is an invasion of privacy? Why or why not?

The article raises the following issue about Stephen T. Badin High School’s drug-test policy: Since the school will have no maximum number of times it can test a particular student, the policy can lead to “arbitrary enforcement and harassment.” What are your thoughts on this idea? Have you ever seen a student or group of students targeted for disciplinary reasons? Explain.

If you were an administrator at a school where it is obvious that students are vaping, drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs, how would you handle the issue? Would you recommend a drug-testing policy similar to that of Stephen T. Badin High School? Would you recommend a different kind of policy? Why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.