NJ high school to test teens for alcohol consumption

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Now I know schools get a ton of leeway on illegal search and seizure and other things of that matter, but this has to be unconstitutional doesnt it?

Does anyone know anything about these tests? Are they anything like the drug tests that can be beaten by taking pills and flushing your system with water?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/.../teen_drinking

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PEQUANNOCK, N.J. - Teens who drink alcohol could be caught three days later under a high school's new testing policy for students.

The test, which will be given randomly to students at Pequannock Township High School, can detect whether alcohol was consumed up to 80 hours earlier.

Pequannock Superintendent Larrie Reynolds said the policy approved last week should be a deterrent to students who feel peer pressure to drink.

Under the program, students who test positive will not be kicked off teams or barred from extracurricular activities, Reynolds said. Instead, they will receive counseling — and their parents will be notified.

"Most kids who think they can get away with it might be tempted to stop and think about it," he said.

The test costs will be paid with federal grants, Reynolds said.

Urine screenings look for ethyl glucuronide, produced by the body after it metabolizes alcohol. School officials acknowledge the test is sensitive, and false positive readings can be the result of using products containing ethanol, including mouthwash and Balsamic vinegar.

But Reynolds said in order for students to test positive, they would generally have had to consume the equivalent of one or two drinks.

Other districts already use the test. Middletown began using it last spring for students suspected of using drugs and alcohol. This month, the district expanded it to include a random pool of about 1,800 students.

Critics have said the testing does not work and invades students' privacy.

"Medical care and treatment are issues between parents and children," said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the
American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

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Edit: Removed the survey BS

[4_2_it]

I'm all for the schools cracking down on drugs and alcohol use, but this seems a little too invasive to me.

I'd rather see the school buy a drug sniffing dog and randomly search lockers every day.

[DING-DONG YO]

Why do I find myself agreeing more with the ACLU nowadays?

[MikeyPatriot]

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I'm all for the schools cracking down on drugs and alcohol use, but this seems a little too invasive to me.

I'd rather see the school buy a drug sniffing dog and randomly search lockers every day.

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I agree that a school has a right/obligation to curb drug use or sale within school property.

This is insane though. I would assume a large percentage of kids in high school now had parents who drank underage. WTF.

[BCPVP]

Some relevant court cases.

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[ QUOTE ]

I'm all for the schools cracking down on drugs and alcohol use, but this seems a little too invasive to me.

I'd rather see the school buy a drug sniffing dog and randomly search lockers every day.

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I'm considerably younger than you at 21, but I disagree. I've seen the drug dogs implemented and it effectively stops operations for the time that the dogs are being used. At my school this was done once every few months and as a precaution no students were allowed in the halls while the dogs were in the school. The inevitable barking got kids out of their seats and watching what was going on instead of doing work.

While I think there are some definite benefits to school crackdowns on these issues, I think in practice they do more harm than good.

[TiK]

I have always wondered this: Is it legal for parents to allow their children to consume alcohol (e.g. wine with dinner)? I know a lot of parents do (many friends during high school had parents who bought them alcohol). Is this legal?

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Why do I find myself agreeing more with the ACLU nowadays?

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Yeah I think it is kind of funny as well.

My dad is a bit of a right wing nut and he hates hearing the ACLU defending criminals rights and stuff, and I used to find myself agreeing with him in lots of cases. These days though I find there are more and more serious attacks on our civil liberties.

[Meech]

If schools spent as much effort on actually trying to teach kids, we would be the envy of the world.

Instead they have to micromanage clothing, music, activities outside of the school, and still do a [censored] job teaching our kids.

[4_2_it]

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If schools spent as much effort on actually trying to teach kids, we would be the envy of the world.

Instead they have to micromanage clothing, music, activities outside of the school, and still do a [censored] job teaching our kids.

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The reason that the schools have to do this is because many parents have abdicated these responsibilities. I agree that the schools should be teaching and not parenting, I am just not sure how you get out of the mess we are in.