Jackson County, WV Schools Drug Tests Catch Fewer Than 2.5%
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Posted: 2:03 PM Jun 19, 2009
Jackson County, WV Schools Drug Tests Catch Fewer Than 2.5%
The Jackson County School Board is pleased with the results of its drug testing program that has been in effect for 17 weeks.
Reporter: Will Jones
Email Address: will.jones@wsaz.com
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JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The Jackson County, West Virginia School Board is pleased with the results of its drug testing program that has been in effect for 17 weeks.

The district has tested 375 students, according to Superintendent Blaine Hess. Nine students tested positive for drugs and were retested the following month. That works out to an average of 2.4%. Of those nine, two tested positive a second time.

Students in competitive activities are required to be part of the random drug testing program. The students who drive to school and park on school property are also randomly tested.

The consequences of testing positive for drugs range from counseling to suspension from extracurricular activities.

Hess says middle school students will be included in the drug testing program next school year.

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Latest Comments

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 13, 2009 at 05:52 PM

This entire idea is reasonable, but in some ways I must say testing students who drive to school to be an inconvenience to some. I know several people who are often driven to school but have a parking pass for the rare occasion they get a chance to drive. It is understandable that these students will be on school property and could potentially harm someone if they were under the influence, but it is extremely annoying if you have to be drug tested and only use the parking pass 10-20 times during a 180 day school year.
Posted by: Con Law Basics Pt. II on Jun 22, 2009 at 04:20 PM

Instead of continually complaining that teachers should be tested, some of you should lobby Congress and your state legislature if you really want the Constitution to change. It isn't backwards politicians dragging their feet on the issue, it is the fact that random testing by the government is unconstitutional. Having a problem with a social issue and using the excuse that it is illegal as your support is hypocritical when your opinion quickly changes on the issue of legality when it is something you disagree with. For those folks I will support my support of teachers not being randomly tested with your mantra, "But it's illegal!" Move along. There's nothing more to see here. Though you could educate yourselves on the issue so that you can appear to be semi-informed on the topic.
Posted by: Con Law Basics on Jun 22, 2009 at 04:15 PM

Drug tests for teachers? Well, officials can already test teachers if they have reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing. Testing teachers randomly without reason is ridiculous. Testing minors (those under 18) has been deemed constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court because, as minors, they have a reduced expectation of privacy. "People in lesser jobs require drug testing." While that may be true with private companies, when the government is involved (i.e. public schools), the government is held to a higher standard in upholding the consitutional right to privacy. Various caselaw supports this notion. When the government has allowed the state to randomly test for drugs, it deals with safety concerns such as operating heavy machinery or driving as a profession (usps drivers, etc.). There is a safety issue with driver's ed. teachers, so they a well as bus drivers can be randomly tested if the school so chooses. Teachers having to drive to work is not a safety issue related to their jobs.
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