should junior high and high school students have to take random drug testes

Before beginning, I would like to greet my opponent and thank him for this opportunity to debate. I look forward to an engaging round! My opponent begins with a single assertion - that there should be "random drug tests on students in junior high and high school" to prevent them from getting in trouble. Merriam-Webster defines junior high as "a school usually including the seventh, eighth, and sometimes ninth grades" [1]. High school encapsulates the rest, up to 12th grade. So the parameters of this debate are established to testing students in grades 7-12. Contention One: Holding random drug tests in schools is costly. Using drug tests in schools rapidly becomes an expensive process. Generally, they are paid for with taxpayer dollars, adding higher burdens to the general public. Recently, the Maize school district in Kansas gave up its policy of drug testing. In the last five years, it spent "$31,000" on drug testing students, and only "four students - .2 percent - tested positive" [2]. That's a colossal waste of money. There are better ways that cash could be spent, such as on teacher salaries or student activities. A similar case happened in Dublin, Ohio, when the school cancelled its annual payments of "35,000" after finding that 11 out of 1,473 students tested positive for drug use [3]. The school used the money saved to hire a counselor who reached all of the students. As can be seen, drug testing in schools is not only costly but ineffective. Even though instituting random drug tests can be a deterrent, they are not worth the costs. A better alternative would be educational programs informing students about the dangers of consuming illegal drugs and alcohol. This way is cost-effective and it preserves the students' privacy and integrity. Contention Two: Drug tests violate students' privacy. Students like to feel respected and be treated as adults. In an environment where they are treated with suspicion and subjected to random drug tests, they feel more like criminals than students. In an area where they constantly feel suspected and mistreated, this can actually increase the consumption of alcohol and usage of drugs. Students in positive environments where they feel respected and treated fairly are "less likely to start smoking cigarettes or marijuana" [4], says a study at drugfree.org. It is important for students to trust school officials and feel safe to come forward if they need to. In an environment where they are treated as though they were guilty until proven innocent, this feeling of trust quickly evaporates. Not only that, but students may feel that drug tests infringe on their privacy. Many drug tests require urine samples, for example. Pro is correct when he says that drug usage is a problem in schools. However, because drug tests are expensive, ineffective, and damaging to the relationship between students and faculty, I maintain that there better methods of combatting drug use in schools, such as with counseling and other educational programs that empower the students rather than subjugate them. For these reasons, I urge you to vote Con! I look forward to seeing my opponent's arguments in round 2! [1] http://www.merriam-webster.com... [2] http://watchdog.org... [3] http://ssdp.org... [4] http://www.drugfree.org...