Monday, October 31, 2005
A doctor wants to drug test all high school students for marijuana. "Perth doctor George O'Neil suggests that high schools should test students for marijuana use as part of an annual health check and if they fail, they would be forced to undergo monthly tests." (via FARK.com)
Posted by Kevin |
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Comments:
The British and their colonies that chose to continue to wear the yolk of colonial rule don't quite share the sence of civil liberties as us Americans.
What of those who test positive on a monthly basis? Perhaps they should then be tested on a weekly basis...
Perhaps schools could utilize assessments already at hand. Any student who's acedemic performance drops or falls below what their standardized testing would suggest they are capable of would then undergo an evaluation designed to determine the cause. It would not merely focus on a urinalysis, but look for other common causes for poor school performance, including depression, and family issues including financial issues, marital discord, and abuse.
The schools have at their disposal a broad and possibly comprehensive assessment of whether a child is functioning appropriatly, they just need to utilize it. The school is merely trying to shirk its duty to provide such a comprehensive intervention for kids by blaming all woes on marijuana and tossing the problems of the education system into the parents laps.
As an aside, why on earth would they test just for marrijuana. It's the gateway theory for drug abuse; kids start with the soft stuff and move on to other things. Stop the MJ use and they will not move on to other drugs is the idea.
If the testing is for MJ only then you can bet that they will quickly find the loophole; they will use only things not tested for (assuming that testing is a deterrent in the first place). Testing then would cause the very outcome (hard drug use) that it is intended to prevent.
Standard educator bait and switch. Take responsibility for things outside their control (drug use outside school) as a smoke screen for neglecting things within their control (educational outcomes).
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What of those who test positive on a monthly basis? Perhaps they should then be tested on a weekly basis...
Perhaps schools could utilize assessments already at hand. Any student who's acedemic performance drops or falls below what their standardized testing would suggest they are capable of would then undergo an evaluation designed to determine the cause. It would not merely focus on a urinalysis, but look for other common causes for poor school performance, including depression, and family issues including financial issues, marital discord, and abuse.
The schools have at their disposal a broad and possibly comprehensive assessment of whether a child is functioning appropriatly, they just need to utilize it. The school is merely trying to shirk its duty to provide such a comprehensive intervention for kids by blaming all woes on marijuana and tossing the problems of the education system into the parents laps.
As an aside, why on earth would they test just for marrijuana. It's the gateway theory for drug abuse; kids start with the soft stuff and move on to other things. Stop the MJ use and they will not move on to other drugs is the idea.
If the testing is for MJ only then you can bet that they will quickly find the loophole; they will use only things not tested for (assuming that testing is a deterrent in the first place). Testing then would cause the very outcome (hard drug use) that it is intended to prevent.
Standard educator bait and switch. Take responsibility for things outside their control (drug use outside school) as a smoke screen for neglecting things within their control (educational outcomes).
# posted by 
: 8:45 AM
: 8:45 AM
