With the summer coming to an end, it's time to start thinking about the upcoming school year and what this means to your child. If they are entering middle school or high school, it’s time your child understands how important it is to abstain from drugs they may be exposed to in these environments. Very few school districts in our country have the funds to offer alcohol and drug awareness classes anymore. It is therefore up to the parents to make sure their child is getting a proper drug education in the home.
In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court authorized all public middle and high schools to test students for illegal drugs. With this sanction from the government, some school districts in Missouri will begin random drug testing for their athletes and for students whose parents opt them into the program. This motion will affect about 560 students who participate in extra-curricular activities or are connected in any way with them in one district alone.
According to the drug testing policy rules, any child testing positive faces strict measure from the school district authorities. The first positive test on drug and substance abuse automatically earns the victim a 30 day suspension from extracurricular activities. If the child tests positive on second test taken randomly after the first (and after a period of time) the penalty is raised to about 90 days exemption from extracurricular activities. These first two punishments should serve as a warning after which the victim faces a one year ban from extracurricular activities or associating in them, if they test positive for the third time. About 80% of Missouri District parents are supporting the drug test policy and about 25% of Missouri District schools have already adapted to the system. As a result, Missouri drug and alcohol classs are utilized frequently.
Despite resistance, statistics show that there is proven success with random drug tests. According to the National Center for Education and Regional Assistance "Students involved in extracurricular activities and subject to in-school drug testing reported less substance use than comparable students in high schools without drug testing."
However, many parents are concerned not only about their child’s civil rights but that testing doesn’t only lead to punishment, but to early intervention and rehabilitation. In this vain, if you feel the need to talk to your children about drug abuse but are concerned about your lack of knowledge, taking an online drug education course with them is a good way to help prevent drug use. They are easy to take privately from any web-based computer in your home and will teach the facts about the adverse effects of drug abuse on their lives both physically and mentally. They will learn about the different drugs out there and tactics to take to avoid peer pressure.
Online drug classes prevent early addiction, helps children make positive choices at an early stage and also promote a safe and healthy environment for school children. These sentiments are likewise echoed by a number of Missouri School Districts and are part of the reason why the drug test policy was implemented. Prevention is better than cure; let your child enroll for an online drugs class this summer.