Mom2mom poll: Should schools test kids for drugs & alcohol?

[kckady]

Last week Rockhurst High School announced that it will begin testing its students for drug and alcohol use. The story: http://bit.ly/Zhiqcn
Is this a good idea? Not so much? What's your opinion?

Share your thoughts by answering the weekly poll question. Post your comments and read The Star's FYI section on Tuesday, Jan. 15 to see what other moms say. Also check back often on mom2momkc.com to see how the mom2mom panel answered.

The question: Do you think schools should test students for drugs and alcohol?
A. Yes
B. No

[mighty]

A strong yes from me. Rockhurst surprised me by saying a student who tested positive would first receive counseling with his parents. A second violation would result in expulsion. When I was in school, it was "one strike and you're out."

[mygr8crew]

I have no problem with the drug testing and I like how Rockurst is handling it. A positive drug/alcohol test and counseling could save a young person and their family years of pain and heartache, and I speak from past experience.

[lisab]

I think it's a positive step in the right direction to start drug testing in schools. If we want to end drug problems in society, the younger you can reach people the better. Bravo to Rockhurst for taking this big step.

[MollyMom]

Personally, I think this is a great idea, with the thinking that the kids can use the threat of testing as an "out" when friends offer them drugs. ("I don't want to get caught when they test us at school.") If there are ways that we can help our kids say no to drugs, we should jump at them. This seems like an easy way to do that. I also happen to approve of Rockhurst's plan to offer more than one strike before a student is "out". While some parents may disagree with this and say that it should be a "no tolerance" policy, I think they would be kidding themselves. When our girls were in high school, they repeatedly advised us that they believed that fully 85-90% of high schoolers consumed alcohol. They had to work very hard to avoid it and at times lost friendships over that very issue. I don't know what they would say the percentage of kids who used drugs was. Although I would assume that it would be considerably smaller, I think it's much higher than most of us parents would like to think it is. I think other high schools should follow suit here.

[momonnet]

I think if a student was demonstrating behavior that made the school think someone was under the influence while at school then yes. Just to test everyone seems ????. What are they going to do when probably more than half comes back positive. Seems from what I hear high schoolers are drinking in record numbers. Of course I would hope none would be drinking, but that's not how it is.