Should teachers be required to undergo random drug testing?
Drug Testing
The teachers all over the world should be drug tested. If the teachers of America can come to school drunk, or if they have been drinking is not a safe environment for the children and teens. They should randomly drug test the teachers just like the students. The teacher job should be like any other job. Drug testing is necessary, and it should be random to keep the kids safe!.
Posted by: AnonymousTHIS IS A MUST!
Of course, a drug testing may be degrading in some ways. But teachers are supposed to be role models for the students. They should steer the students in the right direction. Some argue (in the no column) that using drug does not mean the teacher is incompetent. Sure, why not? However, the usage of drugs have bad side-effects that will affect the teacher's ability to educate the student, which will also affect the students' learning environment. In addition, drug addicts are unpredictable in many way and will be a hazard to the children. And to say that the government is trying to monitor our lives? Honestly, I think that's absurd. There is a difference between taking away our rights to privacy and drug testing for safety.
Posted by: bae.minjiWhy not, should have been a long time ago...
Everyone else in the world that gets a legit good job and is labeled as professional should, why not teachers? If a nurse, doctor, lawyer, etc have to a teacher should too. Most fast food places require drug tests, it seems common sence that a teacher should too. Why not?
Posted by: AnonymousDrug Testing
Drug testing should be required for teachers. Besides parents, teachers have the most influential power over children. If you are going to have a job molding the young in our society, regardless of whatever opinion you have of marijuana, you need to be following the laws that our government has made.
Posted by: Anonymousdrug testing for teachers
School is a work place , every factory or plant as drug testing , schoools should be no different
Posted by: AnonymousI think that teachers should undergo random drug testing, just as other people who work in any public environment do.
I think that teachers should have to undergo random drug testing to ensure compliance with the policies of their designated school districts. We entrust our children to them everyday and, not only is it a safety issue, it is also a matter of setting a good example. We can not tell our children not to use drugs and expect any less of the people who are trying to enforce this.
Posted by: UnsuitableRigoberto99Yes we should
We need our teachers to be the best quality possible. They need to be drug approved and not high as a kite when they are hired to do a very important job. So yes honestly we need to be able to drug test a teacher for the sake of our children.
Posted by: AnonymousLots of teachers take recognational drugs to socialise
I personally know a school teacher who smokes cannibus on regular occasions on a daily basis with the attitude that they are a school teacher so no one will find out they are taking the drug.
I've reported this matter to the Education Department.Posted by: AnonymousDrug Testing
I believe that any state employee should undergo random drug screens. If a teacher is given the responsibility to educate our children then they should have the responsibility of keeping themselves drug free. They are there to teach children the right ways of doing things and they need to set a good example.
Posted by: AnonymousTeachers should set an example for the students to tell them how important it is.
When we ask students (small children or big ones) what to do and what not, they follow their role models. In childhood, teachers are their role models. To set an example, teachers do it voluntarily and the children will follow.
Posted by: MeirP4p4Of course.
We can't have drug addicts teaching our children. A drug test is a perfectly sensible way to be sure of this. "Right to Privacy" is irrelevant; If you want a job, you need to do what is required to get it. If you're not a drug addict, you have nothing to worry about. If you are, you shouldn't be a teacher.
Posted by: martiansharkI think that teachers should undergo random drug testing, so long as other professions that are related are required.
It is important for those who are influencing our children to be making responsible choices so that they are able to be sufficient role models. If a teacher is under an influence, as any other profession, which effects their performance, it should be regulated.
Posted by: KennedyBKids have to. Its necessary for the secure of parents
Parents have to be sure that their kids's education is not being jeopardized by teachers being on drugs. It impairs their mental abilities to teach and therefore impairs the children's learning.
Posted by: AnonymousI think that teachers should be required to undergo random drug tests, just as any other worker at any other job would.
When working with children, it is very important that anyone should be drug free. Most other jobs require their employees to undergo random drug tests (this is rarely enforced, but almost all places have this guideline laid out in their paperwork). It is especially important with those of influential jobs to take drug tests at random to ensure that our children get the best education that tax payer money can provide.
Posted by: I33HorrayTeachers are significant in the lives of children.
“Police officers, firefighters, and transit workers are all city employees that are subject to random drug testing. Teachers are also city employees.” However, teachers are not subject to random drug testing, but I believe they should be. Teachers play significant roles in society. They should be subject to random drug testing for the following reasons: teachers are looked at as role models, entrusted to protect children, and other city employees are subject to random drug tests, why not teachers? Anyone who works with children should be subject to random drug testing to ensure the safety of the future generations.
Teachers are responsible for being mentally and physically capable of taking care of children on a daily basis. This is not always possible when they are under the influence of drugs. Teachers also serve
The opposition used points such as smarter people, meaning teachers, use fewer drugs. This is not always true. Some intelligent people use drugs to relieve stress. The opposition also stated that other city workers, such as firefighters and transit workers, who take drugs, have more of an effect on the lives of people in a society than teachers taking drugs. Teachers and transit workers have an equal position in society. Parents trust teachers with their children the same way commuters trust transit workers to get them where they need to go safely. If a teacher is on drugs, there is the possibility of the teacher being too impaired to take care of the students and keep them safe.Posted by: AnonymousYes, I believe that teachers should be subject to random drug testing, because we are entrusting our children to them.
We entrust teachers with the immense responsibility of helping to form the thoughts and opinions of our children. People who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol are obviously not thinking with a clear mind. Their behavior could be tainted when dealing with our children in the classroom. Random drug testing would encourage teachers to remain straight and sober, because they would be faced with losing their jobs, and would also be faced with disgrace within their community.
Posted by: C0n5IightTeachers should be drug & alcohol tested on a regular basis!!
Teachers are responsible for 30 odd children in there classes & some with disabilities.They are paid better than most people & get 12 weeks a year off, not including annual leave,sick leave & school closers. On that note,They should be tested & held accountable for their actions in the work place, as are the rest of us.Drug testing isn't the only thing they should be tested for.Alcohol is another factor in the teaching environment.I have witnessed teachers consuming alcohol on a regular basis on school sites, then driving home while under the influence. Some teachers have even been caught by police for drink diving "RESPONSABLE BEHAVIOUR"... I THINK NOT!!...This is not only a general teacher problem.Some school principles & special education teachers also consume alcohol on school sites regularly! The education department is very quick to scrutinize other people working on school sites such as cleaners,building contractors & parents with very thorough police clearances.If you don't get cleared,you don't work on school sites! Teachers who consume alcohol,use drugs on school sites, or convicted by police for DUI or test positive for drugs at any time should face disciplinary action from the school they are employed at & also from the education department.It seems like anyone & everyone working on school sites must & will be be held accountable for actions taken in schools, as they should be!... But not the teachers!!
Posted by: AnonymousAnyone in a position with access to children should have random drugs testing.
Anyone - no matter how reliable their appearance - can have a habit they don't want people to know about. Drug users occur in every class of people. I think it is safe to presume that most people would not want someone under the influence of a mind altering substance to teach their children - given the number of personality effecting side-effects possible - and therefore, I believe teachers should undergo random drug testing to insure that they do not show up in class high.
Posted by: DuaneAirYes, teachers should be required to undergo random drug testing because they use government funds and are in a union, why should they be any different than anyone else?
Yes, teachers should be required to undergo random drug testing because they use government/taxpayer money and are in a union so they shouldn't be any different than private industries. They are also teaching our children and should not subject them to any drug use at all or teach them with drugs in them. Since they are using taxpayer money and are not a private industry the penalties should be harsher.
Posted by: MycCra2iiWhat's wrong with a drug test.
If you have nothing to hide, why oppose. And don't give me that "you're infringing on my rights" crap.
Posted by: JDavidODrug Test the people who shape our children's lives?
Teachers are the shapers of the next generation, molding our children into the next politicians and the next burger flippers. Users tend to be lazy, and portraying the "grown-up" persona usually displayed by an adult would no longer be present to instill in the young sponge-like minds of the future. It would be irresponsible to not give them randomized drug tests.
Posted by: AnonymousTeachers touch the future and the future needs to be protected.
Teachers should be held to a higher standard than other types of employees. They deal with America's future and these children are impressionable and vulnerable. Teachers must set a very good example for their students. People who use drugs should not be teachers. If we don't drug test then we risk teachers showing up for work under the influence of drugs.
Posted by: MycaMyWhy should teachers have anything to hide?
These are individuals in charge of shaping the minds of children. Other, much less important jobs require individuals to sign a consent form to allow random drug testing before they are hired. The argument that 4th amendment rights makes sense; however, if an educator is teaching under the influence, they are violating the civil liberties of every student that steps into their classroom. Honestly, this one should come down to common sense.
Posted by: AnonymousI believe anyone who comes in contact with children should be randomly drug tested.
Drug abuse is a huge problem all over the world. Obviously that means there are teachers that battle the problem as well. It is horrible to think that someone who has children's education as their responsibility may be doing their job incorrectly because of drug use. For that reason I believe all teachers should be tested periodically.
Posted by: 54nShaIYes, teachers should be required to undergo random drug testing so that we can be sure whether those teachers are really trustworthy or not.
Nowadays we cannot really trust the teachers who teach our children. Random drug testing will weed out the bad people in the teaching profession, and will make us sure that our children are safe and in the best hands while at school.
Posted by: danoneenoTeachers should be subject to random drug testing, because of the authority they wield.
Teachers should be subject to random drug testing because they are in a position of authority, and drug abuse is likely to cause them to abuse that authority. Furthermore, teachers lead by example. Students who see a teacher under the influence of drugs can only conclude that drug use is acceptable.
Posted by: JamieM
Wake up people! The government is trying to monitor our lives! Give teachers their Right to Privacy!
Teachers should absolutely not undergo random drug testing because it's very unnecessary, takes away their Right to Privacy and makes them look like a criminal. They're teachers! And now we're suspecting them of being drug addicts. This is ridiculous. Big government is taking away our freedom! Let's say one in a million teachers are unfortunately taking drugs. That's horrible. But that doesn't mean that the rest of the millions of teachers have to undergo drug testing. These days when something tragic happens we accuse everybody of doing it. This is similar to recent shootings that we've had. Now Americans want to ban guns! They want their freedom taken away. Read the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Where is America going?
Posted by: AnonymousSure, if you plan to drug test the rest of the nation.
If you're going to drug test one, then drug test them all. And if we're not okay with drug testing everyone, then don't make stipulations on teachers because they deal with kids. Parents like to place a lot of blame on teachers for the way their children turn out - but it starts at home people and it ends at home.
Posted by: OutspokenEstablish a need to seize bodily fluids and work related probable cause.
I'm a control freak and coffee is as daring as I get. However, I recognize that routine workplace drug testing makes unreasonable search and seizure a commonplace violation of privacy and self incrimination. (Hint, this is contrary to the Fourth Amendment.)
While it's fine to have laws that prohibit driving or operating heavy machinery while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the following directional force is wrong on so many levels.
The U.S. Supreme Court case of Treasury Employees v. Von Raab , 489 U.S. 656 ruled that drug testing constituted a "search" and must meet the "reasonableness" requirement that protects citizens against "unreasonable" searches and seizures. The court also ruled that positive test results could not be used in subsequent criminal prosecutions without the employee's consent due to self-incrimination issues.
The Drug Free work place act of 1988 expanded the Federal program to drug test all Federal employees and operators of dangerous machinery or those engaged in other hazardous activities. The latter is reasonable, the former is not. The former was the pilot program for testing all citizens whenever.
The Drug free Workplace act of 1998 followed and mandates that all employers have a drug free workplace program. Many employers erroneously"understood" that if they didn't routinely test for drugs, then they were supporting and/or condoning drug use.
Today drug testing is routine and testing positive can be viewed as criminal possession.
Today, contrary to the Fourth Amendment, the reasonableness requirement is out the window, seemingly forgotten, and testing positive can get you arrested.
As far as drug testing goes, the intent was originally to offer treatment programs rather than criminalize, criminalize, criminalize. What happened? Privatized prison industries happened. Viewing the war on all drugs, including marijuana, as a cash cow happened.
In this way, our system was predatory and cannibalistic far before the banksters. People have been covering for a failing economy for a long time. There were so many signs of a prolonged economic crisis just under our noses...
I do believe that drug testing is a form of search and seizure and it should satisfy the reasonableness requirement, meaning that there must be reason to think that an employee is drunk or drugged while on the job before drug testing is done. It shouldn't be done routinely.
Also, I think pot should be legalized. Having worked in pathology, I understand alcohol is far more dangerous and injurious. The rate of deaths due to alcohol use remains high. Marijuana doesn't have that same phenomenon. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death
How is it that a teacher who drinks is an okay role model but a teacher that has a joint on the weekend isn't? That's bogus. It's also bogus that if a teacher smoked a joint within the last month, they test positive with drug testing even if they never came to work high.
That's the problem with routine drug testing. It raises all sorts of questions that no one wants to discuss intelligently. You get the either your for illegal drugs or your against them. That's black and white thinking and as far as I'm concerned, that's not the type of thinking that makes anyone a role model for school age children!Posted by: KarenAScofieldViolation of Rights
Only upon suspicion of drug use should a teacher be tested. Random testing is a violation of our rights. We are professionals who spend money out of our own pockets to educate children. Maybe the parents of our students should be randomly drug tested. I have seen the aftermath of a parent's drug use on the children I teach. Again, we are professionals... Are doctors or lawyers randomly tested?
Posted by: BJVAlthough teachers are responsible for our children, drug testing is an invasion of privacy that isn't necessary.
I believe that even though teachers are responsible for our children while at school, the issue of invasion of privacy takes precedence over everything else. What teachers do in their own time should not be the concern of the community and random drug testing interferes with the right to privacy in ones life. If teachers are drug tested then so should almost every other citizen that works since all jobs have some level of importance in the community.
Posted by: 54IInfernoThis is wasteful
We should not be focused on finding good teachers that use drugs. We should be focused on the people who are bad at their job. People believe that drugs will make people become bad at things. If we focus on dealing with the teachers who are bad at their jobs it should solve the drug "problem", save our money, time, and help our children learn.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, I oppose random drug tests for teachers, because such tests are ineffective.
Random drug tests for teachers would be counterproductive to the goal of improving our educational system. We have a right to expect good performance and good judgment from teachers while they are on duty. Drug tests measure neither performance nor judgment, but they do harm morale by treating teachers like potential criminals. They add the stress over the chance of a false positive on a test to an already stressful job. Student testing and the watchful eyes of colleagues, administrators, students, and parents already monitor teacher performance and judgment on the job. Proponents of drug testing might argue that the presence of illegal drugs in a teacher's body is indicative of poor judgment. However, one cannot determine the quality of the judgment without knowing how the chemicals came to be in a body, and tests do not reveal that information. Furthermore, the drug tests look for only a few of the hundreds of drugs (mostly legal pharmaceuticals) that can affect teacher performance and judgment.
Posted by: LuciaLUnconstitutional??
It's unconstitutional and an invasion of privacy to require drug testing for any government job.
The last employer that should be drug testing individuals is the United States government. The only way it would be justified is if the teacher is exhibiting strange behavior that could be linked to drug use. Drug testing otherwise should not be required.
No TawdryAmado76
Ok so hopefully you don't have any children or maybe you do smoke potor w/ever because i do know teachers that actually sell to their students! if us office assistants need to get drug tested on a regular basis than teachers actually dealing w/ their students definetly need too as well...Posted by: AnonymousWhy should teachers be the only people not allowed to smoke weed on their offtime?
Yes, you should not come to work high or drunk or under influence in ANY job but especially when working with children. BUT, what is wrong with smoking when you are in the privacy of your own home. Marijuana will be legal soon so everyone get over it already! Harder drugs maybe test for but for marijuana absolutely not. It is no ones buisness what a teacher does on his or her offtime. Might I add alchohol is 100times more toxic than marijuana yet it is legal. Intoxicated at work, not tolerable but what a teacher does on their downtime is not anyone elses buisness period.
Posted by: AnonymousDrug use does not make a person "bad"
Because someone consumes a substance that a politician has deemed undesirable (usually proclaimed in "emergency" legislative sessions based on emotional journalism, support from criminal justice industry, and/or fear of a certain cultural group) does not make them a "bad person" or incapable of performing a given job. Drug tests also simply check if someone has used a substance at some point in the past several days, not if they are currently under the influence of the substance.
Posted by: AnonymousI am opposed to random drug testing for teachers, because it is an unnecessary and costly measure.
Teachers are already subject to stringent background testing and quality controls. A teacher with any kind of drug conviction would not be hired, and a teacher who gave the impression that they might be using illegal drugs would be quickly dismissed. Our teachers are already subject to strict regulations regarding conduct, which should be effective as it is. Drug testing is very expensive, and would add an unnecessary burden to already limited education budgets. Random drug testing would simply waste money, when a far more reasonable approach would be to test teachers only if they gave evidence of impairment on the job.
Posted by: BoorishKraig93It's unconstitutional and an invasion of privacy to require drug testing for any government job.
The last employer that should be drug testing individuals is the United States government. The only way it would be justified is if the teacher is exhibiting strange behavior that could be linked to drug use. Drug testing otherwise should not be required.
Posted by: TawdryAmado76I am opposed to random drug testing among teachers because it is not necessary.
Good teachers are important to society. Drug testing is not something that can determine a great teacher. Lets say someone that has been teaching for 20 years who had a great track record got tested? What if they came out positive for marijuana? Does that mean the teacher should all the sudden get because of a dirty test. I think not. There really is no need. There hasn't been testing since before now, and that is never the biggest issue in the news. It is really not a big deal.
Posted by: AnonymousI do not feel that teachers should have to undergo random drug testing, because it does not reflect on their qualities as a teacher.
Drug usage and testing in America has changed dramatically throughout the years. High level persons in every genre of business from politics, medical, legal, educational and corporate world have identified and admitted to previous or current drug usage. That usage does not reflect how well a person is able to perform their jobs or the quality of their work. There have been employment studies done that showcase that 'users' miss less time from work, are more creative and produce much more than non-users of drugs.
Posted by: ladeedeemeNo
I'm flat out against all drug testing. As long as whoever in question is getting their work done it doesn't matter if they are using illegal drugs or not.
Posted by: AnonymousYou Could Be A Good Teacher And Still Do Drugs On Your Own Time
This policy would lead to the firing of many capable, competent teachers who just happen to enjoy the occasional joint on the weekends, and would just further feed into drug war hysteria.
If a teacher shows up to class high or drunk then they should be fired, but that will be apparent from their behavior. There is no need for a drug test.Posted by: MasturDbtorNo, not until EVERY politician, general, priest and anyone else with power are also checked.
First of all, this is against the spirit of the US Constitution. You are supposed to be free in "your person" against searches. The yes votes here know little about Freedom. Freedom means a person should be able to smoke a joint on Sat night, or even have 5 drinks.....or do most anything they wish to do, and not be fired because of it.
But the more important point - Politicians control TRILLIONS, they send people to war, they make decisions about MANY things which affect our lives. Should they be screened for sanity, drinking and drugs? The answer is that it will never happen, because they have power.
Will Priests be drug and alcohol tested? No, again, they have power.
As usual, the authoritarians are out in full force on the Yes side - wanting to lord it over the weak, while excusing the strong from the same treatment.Posted by: Anonymous