There has been a lot of controversy about whether students rights are being violated during drug searches. As more drug searches occur at school, more students are asking the question if this is violating there rights. Unannounced Drug searches can keep schools safer but in addition could possibly violate peoples rights. Unannounced drug visits should stay as it keeps schools safer, and it is a deterrent for students to bring illegal substances to school.
Unannounced drug searches keeps schools safe by removing potentially harmful or illegal items from schools. By doing these searches unannounced, students will not be able to hide or remove any illegal or harmful substances. Bonners Ferry high school in Idaho do routine unannounced drug searches. For instance, they found an illegal fire arm in a students locker on a unannounced drug search. This shows that doing this searches could prevent a harmful incident were students could possibly get hurt. By finding the gun and the student, eliminated the threat and kept the school safe. As a result, doing drug searches keeps students safe and out of harms way.
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This will act as a deterrent because students will know that there locker or property are apt for search at anytime. As being an unannounced search, it will keep it unpredictable for students. As a result students wont be able to hide substances. In addition, drug dogs are 88% correct on finding harmful substances. This shows that the effectiveness of these drug searches alone will act as a deterrent for students and prevent students from bring illegal substance to school. This method is the correct way to keep illegal substances from even entering the
Keller High School principal, Jeff Bradley states, “’We want to take every precaution to keep drugs out’” (Engelland par 5). Bradley sent out letters to the parents of students of Keller informing them of the searches by drug dog. The dogs will search student’s lockers, parking lots, and the classrooms (Engelland par. 6-8). In another article, Mark Walsh addresses the impact that drug dogs have had on schools. He tells how under Florida’s Fourth Amendment understanding, police officers would be free to walk by a car or a student for example and instruct the dog to begin searching (Walsh 21). Walsh tells of how other cases involving dogs will affect schools because if it is permissible for a dog to walk up and sniff anyone that passes by this point in time police will be continually searching without a warrant. This would be a blatant disregard for the amendment against unwarranted searches and seizures (21-2). If this were to continue, dogs could eventually maintain a steady presence in schools, and this would impact schools significantly due to the fact that the police would not be required to leave. Police already hold a high presence, and drug dogs would highly increase police authority
The 4th amendment of The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. Henry David Thoreau once said, “That government is best which governs least," this statement is true because the more the government is involved, the more complicated life becomes for the people of the U.S. When government is too involved in something, it can soon becomes corrupt. The Safford Unified School District v. Redding was a case in 2009 where thirteen year old Savanna was suspected to have given prescription-strength ibuprofen to a friend in school, this resulted in the vice principal taking her backpack and searching for more pills. Nothing was found in Savanna’s backpack so she was sent by the vice principal to the nurse’s office to be stripped of all her clothes including her undergarments; again nothing was found. In this instance the school became overly involved for non-justifiable reasons which caused the situation to become corrupt. This is comparable to when the government and law enforcement is too involved in the citizen’s lives. It is of unjust law to search the American people without probable cause. The school strip searched Savanna illegally which
The law differs from state to state as the 4th amendment has been modified to meet public school safety. Legislatures decided that there needs to be some modification of the level of suspicion of illegal activity needed to justify a search. They also decided that there's a need for a balanced between the students and the school setting. The 4th amendment has been modified from where you need probable cause and a warrant to...
“Search and Seizure. Suspicionless Drug Testing. Seventh Circuit Upholds Drug Testing of Student Athletes in Public Schools. Schaill v. Tippecanoe County School Corp., 864 F.2d 1309 (7th Cir. 1988).” Harvard Law Review. 103 (Dec. 1989): 591-597.
In many high schools around the country, student athletes are using drugs. “The percent of students that have drunk alcohol is 72.5% while the number of students who have used marijuana is 36.8%” (Report: Nearly Half of High School Students Using Drugs, Alcohol). The students believe that since they are athletes that they do not need to abide by the rules because they feel more superior and that the narcotic will not hurt or affect them. Implementing random drug tests for athletes will create a positive image and not hurt others or themselves. Schools need to have drug tests for student athletes because drugs effect relationships, using drugs have consequences, and lastly they have a major effect on the body.
Some may say that drug testing students is unconstitutional because it is an “invasion of privacy”. This, however, is not true. . . “In 1995, the United States Supreme Court ruled that drug testing for high school athletes was constitutional, and some districts expanded their policies to include middle schools.” I believe allowing schools to drug test athletes was a very positive thing. For many reason, but mainly because athletes who are on drugs have a higher risk of being injured. For example a kid who is on drugs and plays a sporting event has a greater risk of their heart stopping on the field or court. “Drug tests analyze bodily samples such as urine, blood, or hair to detect the presence of legal and illegal drugs.” The most common one is urine testing. I believe urine testing is the best way for high school students, because it does not take as long as some other tests and it is not as costly as other tests. This is especially important because obviously a school does not want to spend money on anything they do not have to. Our school does randomly drug test students every once in a while but only a few of the athletes are chosen to take the test so that really is not helping ...
School searchers have been going on for many years now, and as the years keep passing the searches happen more and more. Schools didn't have many back in the day due to trust in the schools also they didn't have as many drugs around as now a days. I feel that school searches are a good thing to have through out the year and also have them if they have probable cause to search sgtudents lockers.
School searches are used to keep drugs, weapons and alcohol out of school where they don’t belong. School searches can solve a drug problem in a school but it in effect the relationship between the teachers and students would dwindle. They could also make a nonexistent drug problem go up. in an article Kate Ehlenberger said "a teachers report of a student smoking in the bathroom justified a search of the students purse" (Ehlenberger 1). kids will find anywhere they can to light up even if its in school. Drug searches are a gray area in school districts because they don’t want parents knowing that there could be a potential drug problem at their kids' school. there is a strong debate on whether searches are justified or not.
It’s important not to overlook the fact that young people’s privacy is equally as important as anyone else’s. The fact that they’re young students increases the need for student privacy, as our minds can be more vulnerable and fragile. Privacy can ensure feelings of safety and comfort. The first and one of the most important reasons locker searches shouldn’t be conducted is because of how it affects student trust. When students are informed their lockers can be searched at any time, it may give them the impression that they’re not trusted and are doing something wrong, even if that student is completely innocent.
“A medical dictionary defines a drug as ‘any substance that when taken into the living organism may modify one or more of its functions’” (Newton 12). However, when speaking of drug testing for abuse a person is usually thinking about illegal drugs or drugs that can alter athletic performance in sporting events. Mandatory drug testing was not allowed in public schools until June 2002 when the Supreme Court allowed for public schools to do random drug testing (Carroll 23). This decision allowed for drug testing in all schools throughout the United States not just for athletes but also students who are in any activities within the school, for example clubs and competitive events (Carroll 23). Even though drug testing is now allowed by the Supreme Court many schools do not yet have mandatory drug test policies. Mandatory drug testing for high school athletes should be required because it decreases drug use in schools, is relatively inexpensive, and can prevent drug use and or abuse that can lead to a lifelong addiction.
Student searches are negative because they create fear. For example, “ A high school in Quebec recently came under fire after 28 students who were taking a math test were strip-searched by teachers (Moroney 2). This can create fear because it can get students scared if they will get strip-searched. If a couple of students are strip-searched during a test other students would begin to get scared that they will get strip-searched which is creating fear for students, which is very negative. Although it helps school police find harmful substances,police invading your privacy scaring students.
Illicit drug use in Australia is a serious health issue impacting young people. As a community we need to consider how we can protect young people from the harm of drug use, particularly at music festivals these being a popular social occasion for young people and an event where drug use is becoming more common. One way to protect young people from the dangers of drugs and to reduce harm is to ensure that drug checking and pill testing is mandatory at all Australian music festivals.
Drug testing is essential to the public to prevent substance abuse. Since drug users tend to abuse drugs in any way they can get out of. The benefits of drug testing help society to be safe. Also drug testing can change the community to become more successful. Safety of workplaces often gives drug testing due to preventing violence and safety at workplaces for employees. Drug testing can be a hardship for drug users due to they sometimes need it for medicine, but some other people take advantage of drug usage that makes society unsafe. That’s why drug testing helps eliminate unacceptable substance that happens in the society.
...ey to getting a good job, but high school students can’t get their education if they are caught up in doing drugs. Over thirty percent of dropouts in the United States are because of drugs. The thirty percent of drug addict dropouts may never find a job. Thats why it is important for high school drug testing to be enforced among all students. High school drug testing would allow early notice of drug use and allow the school to steer the student into the right path towards success. The drug tests will give students confidence and another reason to say “No” when being peer pressured into trying drugs. Many would argue that drug testings invade their privacy, but with drug usage being at an all time high who can we count on? High schools are made to prepare students for their future, and in order to make the students successful we must allow high school drug testings.
I. Drug testing is meant to help clean our communities and the schools from drug related problems. Drug testing is an easy yet complicated test for many people. Statistics have shows a dramatic decrease of drug use and abuse in between the years of 2000-2006 (University Services, 2009). The U.K.’s country wide drug testing have helped show scientists all over the world the improvements that drugs testing at schools can make.