It is imperative that we teachers promote the health and long-term well-being of our students. Drug use of any kind damages the brain (see www.nida.nih.gov). When we allow youth to participate in extracurricular activities even though they are experimenting with drugs, we are actually saying that we adults approve of them damaging the most important three pounds of their body, their brain!

It is crucial that we learn from the mistakes of the past and send the message to our youth that we want them to be the healthiest they can possibly be. Our youth today are going to live longer, and those long lives should be healthy, not limited by brain damage caused by drug use during the period their brains are still developing.

I know from experience.  If someone had made my dad get tested for drugs when he was 14, he might not have spiraled into a life of substance abuse. He might have avoided a long painful experience for himself and for his family.

My children have participated in high school athletic, music, and drama events. They and other "clean" students were penalized because other students took drugs.

Mandatory drug testing for extra-curricular activities may also improve  scores on all those federally mandated tests because drugs impair the thought processes in the frontal lobe of the brain.

We in the public schools are not in the business of developing semi-professional athletes. We do have the job of developing future productive citizens in a democratic society.

The cost of testing is dwarfed by the potential savings. It has been estimated that drugs cost our country as much as $300 billion a year. If we could save 10 percent by forcing intervention through drug testing, the bonus could be extra money for education.

Kathy Dunn is an elementary literacy teacher in Great Falls, Montana, and a member of her district's Chemical Awareness Responsive Education team.

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[NO]

What is the purpose of such a policy? Punishment? Discouragement? Enlightenment? Puhleeeze.

I absolutely do not condone drug use among students, but I also realize it is a fact of life. Some kids do drugs. And some kids are going to continue to do drugs regardless of what policies may or may not be in place.

I have started an after-school roller hockey club on our campus. It is well-received and provides many benefits for the students who participate. It does not require grade checks or mandatory attendance. Many of the kids who come out for this program would fail a drug test. I know this and I have talked with them about their drug use.

While participating in this sport, they are learning about teamwork and responsibility and are getting some much-needed exercise.

If they couldn't participate because of a failed drug test…what then? Would requiring drug tests encourage kids to stay off of drugs? Perhaps that would be true for a few students, but I believe a larger number of kids simply would not participate.

Allowing them to participate provides them an environment with positive role models and an increased chance that they'll consider getting off of drugs. Try sprinting up and down the court for an hour and a half if you're a "smoker"!

If kids are known to be on drugs during an extracurricular event, whether it be roller hockey, a dance, chess club, or whatever, they should be dealt with accordingly. But to attempt to administer drug tests would be extremely time-consuming and prohibitively expensive.

Let's get back to focusing on how we can be a positive influence on our kids and provide them with other choices besides sitting around and doing drugs. 

Steven King teaches ninth-grade physical and Earth science in Shingle Springs, California.

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Voting Results

Should teachers allow students to use profanity in their writing?

The tally on the question in the November issue of NEA Today:

Yes, 52%

No, 48%