Random Student Drug Testing Summits Coming to Washington
posted by on January 10 at 16:30 PM
I’m surprised the White House’s drug-policy office invites The Stranger to its press events anymore. I mean, after publishing this, this, this, this, and this, you’d expect them to be, like, fuck those guys. But nope. We’ve been invited to another one.
On the agenda this month: Random student drug testing. It’s the silver bullet to prevent drug abuse before it starts, they say. By threatening the youths with getting picked out of class and being required to piss in a cup, they will abstain from smoking pot, snorting coke, taking ecstasy, etc.
Two events – Des Moines on the 17th and Pasco on the 18th – encourage school administrators to enact the federally funded program in the their districts. The events are open to everyone; you can register here.
I’m curious how the White House will answer questions written on those little yellow note cards about why random student drug testing is opposed by such groups as the National Education Association and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, whether random student drug testing is constitutionally flawed, or why they’re pushing it despite research that shows it doesn’t work. When the University of Michigan conducted the first national study on student drug testing in 2003, researchers concluded, “At each grade level studied—-8, 10, and 12—-the investigators found virtually identical rates of drug use in the schools that have drug testing and the schools that do not.” Worse than ineffective, another report by the Oregon Health and Science University released last October revealed, “The mere presence of drug testing increases some risk factors for future substance use…” Of course, nobody wants young people to use drugs. It’s just that randomly testing students in public schools is an ineffective, wasteful, and invasive way to do it.
The practice is already facing a legal challenge in this state for its murky ethics. Says the ACLU of Washington’s Doug Honig:
The ACLU opposes requiring individuals to pee in a cup when there is no reason to believe that a student has done anything wrong. We are pursuing two lawsuits — in Cle Elum-Roslyn and Wahkiakum districts — challenging random drug testing under our state constitution, which requires individualized suspicion that a student has broken the law or a school rule in order for authorities to conduct a search (and drug testing is a search of one’s bodily fluids).
The news advisory for the Des Moines event is posted after the jump.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
MEDIA ADVISORY
THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2008
RANDOM STUDENT DRUG TESTING SUMMIT
DES MOINES, WASHINGTON
JANUARY 17, 2008
(Washington, D.C.) - On Thursday, January 17, 2008, Deputy Director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Dr. Bertha K. Madras, will be in Des Moines, Washington, to address local education officials during a regional drug prevention summit on school-based random student drug testing - initiated and hosted by Washington State’s Educational Service Districts (ESD) 113 and 121.
Seattle-Tacoma area school administrators, teachers, nurses, counselors, athletic directors, and coaches are invited to attend this informative drug prevention forum, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Highline Community College (2400 South 240th Street, Des Moines, Washington). The summit will be geared specifically toward middle and high schools in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
The regional random student drug testing summit will address relevant legal and programmatic issues, and serve as an introduction for school districts that would like to learn more about drug prevention, intervention, and treatment programs, like random student drug testing. Participants will be provided information on U.S. Department of Education grants for developing, implementing, and expanding random student drug testing programs in their schools.
Over 1,000 school districts nationwide have implemented random student drug testing as a means of school-based drug prevention, deterrence, and treatment. The programs are community-initiated, treatment-based, non-punitive, and protect privacy and
confidentiality.
WHO: Bertha K. Madras, Ph.D.,
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
WHAT: Washington State’s Educational Service Districts 113 & 121’s
Summit on Random Student Drug Testing
WHERE: Highline Community College - Student Union Building
2400 South 240th Street
Des Moines, Washington 98198
WHEN: THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2008
8:30 A.M. - 3:30 P.M. (OPEN PRESS)
###
Jesus. So, if you get into drugs, you don't get an education either? That won't have any repercussions in the future, will it?
Just in time too. I mean, why should parents actually take part in raising their kids? If there's trouble, the school will take care of it.
Can this administration please be over now.
Unbelievable. But honestly, I can't imagine how a school or district could possibly get away with this. I would expect that more than a few parents would NOT be impressed with their kids being treated like criminals. Hopefully they'll be voicing their concerns at the summit.
Just like randomly rounding up people and shooting them will reduce crime!
And really, what a way to teach kids to distrust and disrespect authority. After all, it sure as hell doesn't trust or respect you!
Idiots.
Glad to hear the ACLU of Washington state is doing something about something in Washington state instead of hosting protests for prisoners being abused thousands of miles away while remaining silent about prisoners being abused right down the street from their headquarters.
Oh wait, that is what they're doing tomorrow... carry on.
And may we assume these are the same questions you'll be asking whatever administration hack shows up to tout this program?
Kids think they're invincible and all too often act impulsively. If they're presented with the opportunity to smoke pot, they'll do it and only worry about the consequences when faced with a random drug test. Are politicos so stupid that they don't understand how kids think or is this another attempt to stick it to poor and minority kids?
Yeah... stressing kids out more will make them take less drugs. Makes sense to me.
SAT. ACT. PSAT. GMAT. GRE.
One more test?
Give me a break!
Why can't this be handled the old-fashioned way?
Through informants, secret indictments, and disappearances?
COMTE, I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Irena @4 is right--the only thing this is going to result in is more distrust of people in authority positions and increased absences from school.
It's important that every child learn early that their body and all its contents belong to the U.s. government.
Heil Bush!
You'd expect to have a PhD from Washington named Bertha doing the dog and pony show for Bush. I wonder what her husband thinks when she's on the road and not barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen as would be expected from the White House.
won't this stop when president kucinich is inagurated?
@16 - Or President Paul. Yikes!
this will favor the internet-savvy. any kid who can figure out how to drink a LOT of water, then take b12 and creatine prior to the test will prevail. it's almost darwinian, really.
um, i re-read that the tests will be "pop-quizzes." disregard prior comment. these kids are screwed.
no, but what it does encourage is use of drugs that are water soluble (e.g., speed, coke, heroin, various psychedelics) and discourage use of drugs that are fat soluble (pot and benzos).
That they can figure out real quick.
This is brilliant!
They could also end teen sex with random virginity testing!
Irena @2: Unfortunately, it's been my experience that parents are generally down with this kind of thing. The thinking seems to be along the same lines of wiretapping, i.e., my kid is doing nothing wrong, so this is fine, it won't affect him/her. Who cares if the government now has access to my kids DNA?
Some schools currently use kids' fingerprints to PAY FOR LUNCHES. No one seems to care much.
It would be interesting to see who owns the testing co. that Bush is pushing for this program. My guess: his GOP buddies.
True, Dianna @22. You know these tests will be anything but "random." Certain kids will be targeted, and others will be left alone, and parents will know that.
Still, I'm sure many citizens will be alarmed by this. I hope their voices are heard.
Once kids experience the reality of random drug testing they'll see it's nothing to be afraid of. Sure it's scary at first but you get used to it. After a while you don't even think about it. So when you grow up and your employer is doing it too, you'll hardly notice. If someone were to propose random testing of the whole population, you'd take it in stride. What's the big deal, you'd say, I've been getting tested randomly like this my whole life and it seems perfectly normal to me.
Must say I am tired of hearing about the disinterested, stoned, entitled, apathetic and sociopathic kids wasting my tax dollar sitting in my wife's math class not learning anything. The only time I ever hear about people complaining about drug testing is when they are using drugs. Give them a choice get clean and learn something or get out of school and quit wasting my money.
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