The line between public safety and the continuation of a high standard of privacy for all is a razor thin line; the United States government itself straddles it every day. Such is one very serious complication that the administrators and security forces of Coppell High School face: it is in the best interest of the administrators to prevent drug usage in the school as to stop the spread of any conflict (namely any characteristically delinquent behaviors such as interpersonal violence and school dropout) that they could potentially cause. However, it is also imperative to maintain some level of privacy so that students do not lash out against the administrators and school-wide morale remains fairly high. Numerous students and other relevant candidates have been interviewed, and a unanimous response has been clearly received. This is that drugs are a problem that could very well have destructive effects on CHS. Now that this has been proven, the objective now is to prove to high level school officials that it is a problem, and as a result another objective is to devise the most effective solution possible to eliminate this problem to the fullest extent while still maintaining the maximum apogee of privacy on a student-to-student basis. Drugs are absolutely everywhere around Coppell High School and they are certainly the predecessors to much more enormous and dangerous problems that pose a very relevant threat to CHS. Several factors attest to the fact that this is a rational and eminent threat worth the attention of the Coppell Independent School District. Many studies have been conducted that study the effects of drug usage in schools and what other destructive problems they may eventually lead to in the future. One of many fore... ... middle of paper ... ...honey, Diana. "Survey: many middle schools 'drug infected'." Clinical Psychiatry News 38.9 (2010): 1+. General OneFile. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. Mahoney, Diana. "Survey: more schools grapple with gangs, drugs." Family Practice News 40.18 (2010): 14. General OneFile. Web. 25 Mar. 2011 Medical Review Board. Does Marijuana Affect School, Sports, or Other Activities?. 24 October 2010 about.com. 23 March 2011 . Oliver, Charles. "'You don't expect your daughter to go to school and come home with drugs in her bag,' says Amanda Butterfield." Reason Mar. 2006: 12. General OneFile. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. Oishi Warren. Personal interview. 23 March 2011. “School Strip Search Unconstitutional, Justices Rule." The Legal Intelligencer (2009). GeneralOneFile. Web. 25 Mar. 2011.
Hanson, Glen R., et al. Drugs and Society. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011. Print.
Ideally schools in the United States are considered by both parents and students alike to be “safe-havens” where parents can trust their children to learn and remain safe during the day and where students can feel safe in a well-maintained learning environment. However within this fully regulated government service, there are often debates over proper classroom environments, teaching tactics, and privacy issues. Today the main privacy issue in public schools is where to draw the line between keeping the school safe and maintaining the privacy of the students (Boomer par. 19). Searches and seizures in schools are not recent issues; however they are becoming more public now than in recent years.
The drug is a big problem at many colleges today, and is getting worse by time. There are more and more drugs circling in college atmospheres, where many students aren’t aware. If people learn what is happening around them, and watch out for each other, the problem should be able to be contained.
In light of recent acts of violence in the nation’s schools, school safety and security have become a hot topic. However, the issue of school safety goes beyond student violence. It includes property damage, theft, and anything else that concerns the overall well being of schools. While it is important to create a safe environment in schools it is also necessary to make sure students feel comfortable in this atmosphere. The security can not be so overbearing that it becomes a negative tactic that gets in the way of the students main objective, learning. Barely noticeable cameras, ID cards, and security guards without uniforms can help generate this safe, but comfortable learning environment. On the other hand metal detectors and mini police forces may be a little too reminiscent of George Orwell’s novel, 1984, or even modern prisons. School security should not be overbearing or obtrusive where it gets in the way of a comfortable environment that is conducive to learning in the nation’s schools.
In a culture with such diverse commonalities, the differentials that set precedent come from social norms. These norms set the template for what acceptable behavior is. Being known as having a melting pot of a population we can expect that the norms are influenced through religion, values, ideas, and self views. Deviant behaviors occur when these social norms are disrupted and acts are seen to go against what we have always thought as wrong or weird. Deviance is a broad term that encompasses the idea that we know what is right from what our neighbor does. For example, trends of fashion change quite rapidly. If you don’t believe me watch shows on television that reminisce about the 70’s 80’s and so on. Today we look at what was worn in the previous decades and find it hard to imagine people dressing like this now. However, in the days that style was popular it was seen as the way to dress. Norms change to fit what the popular trend is now. Deviance likewise counters with what is unpopular. There are far more serious deviant acts than dressing from the wrong decade; they are also heavily tied to the law. Laws are more inflexible than behaviors of changing times. They are intact from the idea that if caught participating in such acts you could face serious punishment and rightfully so. Let’s take a look at one form of deviance that persisted in our culture for many years.
The biggest question people ask is if the “war on drugs” was successful. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), “The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences.” The best way to measure the effectiveness of the “war on drugs” is to focus on these basic questions; Is drug use down? Is crime down? and Are drugs less available? Since 1988, drug use by individuals ages 12 and over has remained stable according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The number of individuals reporting any drug use has increased by approximately 7 million and the number of those who reported drug use in previous months or previous years has remained unchanged. The Organization Monitoring the Future studies drug use, access to drugs, and perspectives towards drugs of junior and senior high school students nationwide. Results of a study conducted in 2005 showed a minor decline in substance abuse by older teens, but drug use among eighth graders stopped remained the same. However, the changes were not statistically significant and ultimately there was no reduction in substance abuse among young students. Crime in the United States has decreased significantly since 1993, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. On the other hand,
Drinking and driving, smoking tobacco, or consuming drugs such as marijuana seems to be the new way to be cool in high school nowadays. It can make teenagers feel superior, but they don’t know that the happiness is only a mask, covering the true long-terms affects of what drugs and alcohol may do to you. It takes less than one minute to ruin your life using these illegal substances. The pressure can lead to choices teenagers may not want to take and this doesn’t only affect that child. Drug and alcohol abuse in teens today will affect the men and women they become tomorrow.
The United States government projected $25 million to support schools in school-based drug testing and other drug-free programs. In 2003, many schools across the nation provided their own funding for student drug testing programs. The President wants to increase this program for 2005. He also wants to continue funding for ONDCP. This media campaign sends anti-drug messages to young adults via web sites, functions, and events on drug awareness. This approach will include information for parents and youth to encourage early intervention against drug use in 2005.
The increasing amount of public school students selling, using, or being offered illegal drugs on school property has not only parents greatly concerned but school administrators and educators as well. This matter has caught the attention of the United State Supreme Court, which held “deterring drug use by school children is an important-indeed, perhaps compelling interest of the government.” Although there is a common agreement for the need to provide a drug free learning environments for our students, there is much debate with regard to the procedures and measures to be taken before infringing on the students’ Fourth Amendment right. In efforts to safeguard our students, many states have implemented the use of strip searches. The idea of having young adolescents disrobing on school grounds shocks the conscience of many and acts as a red flag for the intrusion on students’ constitutional rights. In fact, a Federal District Court has characterized a strip search as “visual rape.” So, where do we draw the line between insuring the safety of our students and in the same turn not going as far as stripping them of their Fourth Amendment right?
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.
Before being capable of fighting the use of drugs and alchol, one must come to an understanding of why some people use drugs. The decision to ultimately use drugs is influenced mainly in childhood. Whether in a poor ?ghetto? neighborhood, or in a middle-class suburb, all children are vulnerable to the abuse of drugs. Most high-risk children are effected by personal and family circumstances (Falco 51). If a child?s parents are substance abusers, then it is a fairly safe prediction that the child will abuse drugs later in life. Also, early-life experiments with drugs greatly increases the chance of abuse later in life. Academic problems, and rebellious, anti-social behavior in elementary school are also linked to drug problems, in addition to truancy, delinquency, and ear...
It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.
The first step when beginning to implement drug education in a classroom or school is for the individual that is considering the topic to deem why the implementation is important. There are three main reasons teachers have found the implementation to be important. The first reason is that students are more likely to come in contact with drugs by hearing about them, or using them. By having a program implemented into a classroom or school, it can assist individuals to gain knowledge about the topic. The purpose of this is to help individuals make healthy, responsible decisions about drugs now and in the future that will reflect the individual’s identity and morals. The second reason is to help promote a healthy lifestyle for students. Teachers believe that by engaging students in drug education programs, it can help to benefit well-being of the students so that healthy lifestyles are reached to the fullest potentials. Lastly, teachers have found it to be important because teachers can act as a partner with parents, guardians, and other members of the community, in order to ensure that students are being provided with accurate and developmentally appropriate drug education. The school can provide knowledge to students in an area that is sometimes difficult for parents, guardians, and the community to talk about.
Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience to support random and mandatory drug testing in schools and to encourage my audience to maintain a drug-free environment in school
Certain drugs can be injected via a syringe or needle, smoked, ingested through the nasal cavity, and even laced into certain foods and eaten. Unfortunately, in certain areas, drugs can be very easily obtained in an unsafe environment. Usually, drugs affect teenagers the most who are in their high school and college years. It is reported that teenagers can get their hands on narcotics at a myriad of places in their daily lives. They can be found: In the medicine cabinet, at home, at a neighbor’s house, online, a friend, at schools, and at parties. Nowadays, with rapid advancement in drug development, kids as young as 16 can cook and grow their own drugs in their homes. Neglect of strict attention or drug awareness among parents can result in teenagers buying or selling drugs routinely in their