Comments on: Escambia County School District Considers Random Student Drug Testing

By: Teresa

Teresa — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:16:57 +0000

I am not in this school district (I am in Missouri), but my school district is considering the same thing. I think it is an invasion of privacy. My husband told me it was a national trend and I had to see for myself and here I am finding the same info nation wide. I still beleive that students using drugs are not going to pull the grades to participate. I have searched my children rooms, and their school lockers. They know I can show up at anytime just to verify where they are. I am not in this school district (I am in Missouri), but my school district is considering the same thing. I think it is an invasion of privacy. My husband told me it was a national trend and I had to see for myself and here I am finding the same info nation wide. I still believe that students using drugs are not going to pull the grades to participate. I have searched my children rooms, and their school lockers. They know I can show up at anytime just to verify where they are. I am a vigilante parent, but I do not need the school district to my job. Are parent getting lazy, or is the school district over stepping their boundaries? My family has stood up to drug dealer’s in the neighbor and dealt with shots fired in front of my house and three houses down. We have been on the local news with our fight. We will not hide, but we deal with our own children. What happened to education being the focus? I do not feel the schools have a place and I will home school if they decide to do random student drug testing. My 19 year old is going to Iraq to fight for this county and I also fight when rights are over stepped. Parent need to take ownership of what their children do and the school district needs to focus on their job of education. What is happening to this country that we let people pass rules and we are suppose to say “OK”. I am not “OK” with this.

By: Mallory

Mallory — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 01:11:28 +0000

My daughter is a student at an Escambia Country Public School, and I DO NOT think this is a good idea. This past year she was admitted to the hospital for severe depression and anxiety. She’s tried her best to put it in the past, and random drug tests are absolutely going to destroy any hope left of that. I don’t want everyone to know about this, my daughter’s still on medication. It violates rights she has to privacy.

Also, i believe parents should handle their child’s behaviors and decisions on their own; it’s not the school’s concern unless a student is selling or has drugs in their possession at school, or coming to school under the influence causing a disturbance.

By: Concerned parent

Concerned parent — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:24:12 +0000

Let’s just say that your child is being treated for bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Should the whole school know about it? You say no, but if this is implemented, the whole school WILL know. See, the school would have to send home a form for you to fill out that would list all the child’s medical and mental conditions along with the medications he/she is taking. This would have to be returned to the teacher (who would then know), then it would go to the front office (so the secretary, guidance counselors, deans and the student aides would know about it) and then it would go to the nurse (where more students and parent volunteers would see it). Wow, next thing you know, the entire student body knows about your child’s situation. Next they other kids will begin making fun of him/her. This is a serious breach of the HIPPAA laws. It is illegal.

I can’t see this coming to any good. People need to open their eyes and think about things other than wondering if somebody’s kids are smoking weed. If they are, it’s the parents’ problem NOT the school’s unless that child is bringing it to school, giving or selling it to other kids or coming to school all messed up and causing a disruption.

By: Are u Kidding

Are u Kidding — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 14:57:15 +0000

I totally agree with you, Concerned Parent! Well said that’s for sure!

By: Concerned parent

Concerned parent — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:16:58 +0000

My children are MY responsibility and I will handle that the way I see fit. I know my kids are not on drugs because they are rarely out of my sight, only when at school and we have an open dialogue. I can tell you whose kids are and whose kids aren’t. I also know that my kids think drugs are stupid because their father is an addict and they absolutely are not HATE to be anywhere near him or his friends. They think the kids at school who do it are idiots. They have broken up friendships because of someone doing drugs. They have been involved in groups to raise drug awareness in other kids.

However, I don’t think they should be testing my child or anyone else’s. That is the parents’ responsibility and it is not the school’s concern WHAT is or is not in my child’s system. It is none of their business what my child has to take nor is it yours. Once one member of the staff knows a child’s condition, you can rest assured that the rest will know soon after. Don’t even TRY to tell me that knowing a kid is being treated for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, etc will not affect the way he is treated by staff members and once the staff knows, it will only be a matter of time before the student body does also.

NOT a good idea.

By: marie

marie — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:42:04 +0000

I think half of pensacola needs to be drug tested.

By: Angi B.

Angi B. — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:18:18 +0000

Personally, I think this is a wonderful idea; however I feel that they should pass this with all schools and not just the students that are into sports, I feel that all students and staff should be tested. And I also feel that this needs to be randomly done unexpected show up. What good does it do to tell the students and staff that the drug task force with K-9’s are coming? It’s like oh ok, well we’ll leave our drugs home today because they are coming, they’ll be gone tomorrow so we’ll bring them back then… I do not think this is a waste of tax payers money at all, as a matter of fact, I think they should have started this at all schools years ago. As far as someone refusing to take the test, that tells me that they must be scared that something is going to show up, if you haven’t done anything wrong then why worry???

By: justme

justme — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:14:54 +0000

I think all schools need this policy…..and for the parent of the 3 kids that may be sending them to the academy….do you REALLLY think there aren’t some types of drugs done at every school out there? It’s not the schools you have to woryy about, it’s the kids and there are kids of all kinds at all schools….wake up. sounds like from the comments I have read, a LOT of parents are against this…for what major reason, your kid may end up on the list? EVEN GOOD KIDS, people etc have been known to do some type of drugs, it’s not just for the poor, bad kids…..they can’t usually afford to buy them….helloooooooo?????

By: Concerned parent

Concerned parent — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:15:28 +0000

And think about all the money the kids who DON’T do anything will be making selling their urine to the kids who do. And the Psychedelic Shack will make a killing on their “cleansing products”. It will be no different than the people on probation/parole right now.

This would be a huge waste of our time and money. Drag the kids out of class to take a drug test that isn’t going to tell you anything anyway. Wow, that makes so much sense I can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner.The only thing it’s going to teach our kids is how to “beat the system”. That’s really going to be money well spent, huh? Morons!

By: Reality

Reality — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:43:00 +0000

To all of the people thinking this unconstitutional baloney, that students in public schools should be subjected to “random” drug testing, would improve anything; think about this; your nieve. A urinalysis is a joke, quite frankly a 7 year-old could fool it. Trust me. And additionally, if this hog wash ever does develop into a part of daily life for the students I’d be willing to bet dimes and donuts within 1 year of the testing start date the school board drops the entire program due to the number of legal complications they become challenged with. Personally, to have graduated from Northview in 2002, after attending Bratt and Ernest Ward, as well as having both friends and relatives who currently teach or work at our 3 magnificent schools, my wife and I never so much as discussed our 3 children attending school elsewhere. However if this ridiculously stupid drug testing policy comes to be, well, Escambia Academy can add 3 to their student population.