NJ School District Considers Drug Testing High School Students Participating in Extracurricular Activities

Why, because they must be high to want to stay after school?

This story came up on the local cable news here today—the school district in Demarest, New Jersey is considering a program to administer random drug test on its high school students. But not just any students, the ones who participate in after school activities. Specifically, according to News 12, they want to test students who get parking passes (because of after school programming) and "anyone who volunteers." School officials stress a positive test result wouldn't be placed on the student's permanent record (sparing some of the stigma caused by things like drug courts or even prosecution), though parents would be notified and students could face suspension from their after school activities.

In my schooling days, after school programs were meant to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. Throwing them out of those programs for possible drug use seems counterproductive. Given how cheap at-home drug testing has become for parents, the entire exercise seems unnecessary. 

Comments

[R C Dean]

In my schooling days, after school programs were meant to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble.

Funny, I thought the purpose of any schooling (regular or after-school) was supposed to be educational, not custodial.

[Marshall Gill]

I thought the purpose of any schooling (regular or after-school) was supposed to be educational, not custodial.

I think the squirrels ate the end of this comment. There just has to be a punchline.

[Mr Whipple]

Who is supplying the drug testing materials to the School Board, and who did they bribe contribute to?

[Mr. FIFY]

Where's Obama telling schools to respect the rights of students?

/snark

[Metazoan]

Wait what school district in the dirty jerz wants to do this? I didn't really get anything out of clicking that link, except some Long Island news thing about school closings or something.

[In Time Of War]

Eventually, like all good totalitarians, they'll start whining about how nobody wants to volunteer anymore.

[GILMORE]

You don't want some kid on the chess team freaking out on Acid again. I've seen it, its not pretty

[Brett L]

Thank God they didn't test the debate team for pot while I was in HS.

[joebanana]

I don't recall the reason for the violation of forth amendment rights, or the abandonment of the fifth amendment right not to testify against oneself. A right that can't be limited to criminal cases, when violations of the forth amendment are ignored. Why not just water board the confessions out of them? The constitution doesn't say they can't. Oh, except for cruel and unusual punishment, but that wouldn't be punishment, it's "information gathering".

[LarryA]

You missed the "it's for the children" exception to the Constitution.

[YangFooo]

Great, I think its a good idea. While they are at it, test all welfare recipients as well!

http://www.Anon-PCs.tk

[Death Rock and Skull]

When I was in high school, I did not volunteer a damn bit of my time to anything related to the yuppie statist public school district. But I did voluntarily devote hundreds of hours of my personal time, when I wasn't working for money, to a private non-subsidized non-profit organization. Now I have heard of shit like "mandatory service hours" as graduation requirements. Fuck that. Also, I managed to be an admirable individual while smoking the reefer.

[Brett L]

I believe Texas already has to do this. It seems that testing athletes for PEDs was discriminatory, IIRC.

[Tamfang]

I'm surprised someone hasn't already said this:

Anyone who volunteers must be on drugs.