My proposal will help answer this question by providing schools with the tools to randomly drug test students, aged 7-12th grade. The results of the tests would be given to the parents and not to the school. Most importantly, any parent who does not want their child drug tested could opt out of the program. In addition, individual school districts could decide whether they want to participate in the program, and if so, what type of drug test to use. For example, there are varying types of drug tests that range from hair and urine tests to saliva or blood tests.
Parents have a right to know if their children are using drugs.
Parents should have the first knowledge of possible drug abuse and they should be given the chance to deal with the problem. My bill does not place the school in the law enforcement business, rather it provide parents with information they might not have otherwise. The only role of the school would be to provide a specialist to parents to give guidance about what drug counseling or rehabilitation programs may be available to students who may need it. Kids need to be given another reason to say no. While it is true that many youngsters experiment with drugs and do not get hooked, the reality is that many do.