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.
…show more content…
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
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.
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...
Searches and seizures in schools are not recent issues; however they are becoming more public now than in recent years. The Bill of Rights covers searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment which states that “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized” (Bill of Rights par. 9). Under the Bill of Rights, citizens are guaranteed a right to privacy and are protected from unreasonable searches and seizures that are conducted without “probable cause,” evidence sufficient to warrant an arrest or search and seizure.
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.
House Office of National Drug Control Policy, The White. "Student Drug Testing Helps Prevent Drug Abuse." Drug Testing. Ed. Cindy Mur. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
High school students are leaders to younger kids and many others in their community. As a leader these student must show others what good character is like, but instead they are destroying their lives by doing drugs. In the past decade the drug use among high school students is on the rise once again. With the internet, their exposure to drugs is much greater. High school students are convinced that they are able to get away with using drugs. These drug addicts soon influence other students into doing the drugs because there isn’t a rule preventing drug use. In order to protect these student’s future, drug tests must be enforced among all students ensuring a safe environment for students to learn successfully. Allowing random drug testing in high schools will shy away students from trying these harmful drugs. The stop of drug use among high school students is crucial because drugs prevents student from learning leading them to dropping out of high school. Students that become overwhelmed by these harmful drugs will ruin their lives forever, but if steered in the right direction they can be saved.