As part of group two, our job was to research alternative policies. Over the past few years, drugs in Westfield, New Jersey have become a major concern in high schools. About 17% of high school students are abusing drugs on campus (CNN. Study: Kids Drink, Do Drugs at School). Many drug-prevention groups are doing their best to try to stop this from happening. New Jersey is hosting its ninth annual Shout Down Drugs Music Contest in order to help prevent drug use in New Jersey high schools. Millburn High School is also doing a very similar anti-drug contest that involves songwriting (Milburn Student A finalist in Shout Down Drugs Contest). High schools in New Jersey are randomly testing students to try to catch the students who are actually taking drugs. Furthermore, locker searches have also been happening much more often (CNN. Study: Kids Drink, Do Drugs at School). All of this goes to show that overall, there is a huge drug problem in New Jersey schools. One school in particular, Westfield High School, is drug infested and must be drug-free as soon as possible. Westfield High School can accomplish this by hosting their own drug songwriting contest, testing students for drug use, and searching lockers. (Prescription Drug Addiction among Teens." Recovery Resources Online).
At Millburn High School, there is a drug song contest to promote anti-drug use. This is a good idea for Westfield High School to use because it will promote drug awareness for the students, and faculty. According to (Millburn High School junior Top online vote-getter in anti-drug song contest) Nicole Levine who is one of the finalists will compete against 38 other students from 16 counties in New Jersey during the New Jersey Shout Down Drugs Music Contest in NJPAC on May 23. The top three finalists will compete for one of three music contracts worth $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000. According to (Millburn Student A Finalist in Shout Down Drugs Contest)”Shout Down Drugs challenges high school students to create original music and lyrics with powerful substance abuse prevention messages to allow teens to deliver the prevention message to each other through their favorite medium.” Westfield High School should hold their own Drug Song Contest because it will teach students the damages drugs can do to them. The winner could receive a prize, of money or a gift card to the store of their choice. This would motivate students to participate in this event. In conclusion, an anti-drug song contest would be an effect way to prevent drug use and abuse at Westfield High School.
Some schools have random drug testing on their students. If Westfield High School does random drug tests, students will be afraid of taking drugs because of the fear of getting caught with them. If Westfield High School randomly tests students for drug use, they will never know when the drug testings are going to take place, which could help prevent students from taking drugs. (Davis School District Drug Testing) At Davis High School they randomly test some of the students involved with sports and extracurricular activities. If Westfield High School does random drug testing there would definitely be a major decrease in the amount of student drug usage. (The Effectiveness of Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing)There was thirty four percent of students tested that they were probably going to use drugs. If Westfield High School did random drug testing, a lot of students would have the fear of being caught with the results of using drugs recently or even being caught with the possession of drugs. This would help prevent kids abusing drugs in Westfield High School because people will be afraid of being caught with the use of drugs. Over half of the students in the survey said that students won’t take drugs because of the fear of getting caught (Drug testing N.J. middle-school students cuts back on future use, study says). In Rockhurst High School they are using hair from the students. if the student is using drugs they give the student 90 days to become drug free. (Rockhurst High School drug testing policy sends ripple through city).
Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/rockhurst-high-school-drug-testing-policy-sends-ripple-through-city#ixzz2QXI8d6iQ
Schools in New Jersey have implemented drug sniffing dogs that roam around schools looking for drugs. In Nutley Township they had a locker search and found someone with marijuana (Drug Dogs Sniff out Marijuana in Nutley High School Locker Search). At Sachem High School North a dog was able to sniff out 2 grams of cocaine in a student's backpack. If Westfield high school had drug sniffing dogs, there would be a major decrease in drugs. “The point isn’t so much to make arrests as it is to just make it as hard as possible for anyone to bring drugs into school (Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools).” The best-trained dogs have an accuracy rate of 85 to 90 percent, said James Greco, the head trainer for Long Island K-9 Service. If the dogs are 85 percent accurate that would cut down on a lot of drugs at any high school, including Westfield.
These are some different policies about drugs that have been put into place at schools. (Drug Dogs Sniff out Marijuana in Nutley High School Locker Search) Drugs in Schools Policy (Drugs in School Policies) (Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools).
To summarize, drugs in Westfield High School are a huge problem. Many students are taking drugs at the high school. This is an unsettled situation and it must be fixed immediately. This problem can be resolved by hosting contests that go against drug use. Testing students for drug use can also be effective. Lastly, locker searches can help catch the students who are taking drugs. It’s been a long time since drugs were first initiated in Westfield High School and it’s time that people start taking action against them.
WORKS CITED
*Star-Ledger Staff. "Drug Testing N.J. Middle-School Students Cuts Back on Future
Use, Study Says." New Jersey. New Jersey On-Line, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr.
2013. <http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/03/drug_testing_middle-school_stu.html>.
Schweber, Nate. "Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools." The New York Times.
New York Times, 20 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/nyregion/long-island/22Rsniff.html?_r=0>.
"Prescription Drug Addiction among Teens." Recovery Resources Online. Sober
Recovery, 29 Oct. 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
<http://local.soberrecovery.com/
Prescription_Drug_Addiction_among_Teens_Westfield_NJ-r1298761-Westfield_NJ.html>.
Nsw.edu.au. "Drugs in School Policies." NSW Government. Drug Prevention
Programs, 15 July 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. <https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/student_welfare/drug_incid/PD20020040.shtml>.
North Jersey News. "Millburn Student a Finalist in Shout down Drugs Contest."
NorthJersey.com. North Jersey Media Group, 2 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Apr.
2013. <http://www.northjersey.com/news/201087891_Millburn_student_a_finalist_in_Shout_Down_Drugs_contest.html>.
New Jersey Local New Service. "Drug Dogs Sniff out Marijuana in Nutley High
School Locker Search." NewJersey.com. New Jersey On-Line, 21 May 2009. Web.
10 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/05/drug_dogs_sniff_out_marijuana.html>.
Cox, Kim. "Davis School District Drug Testing." ElevenNews. ElevenNews, 19 Mar.
2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://elevennews.byu.edu/2013/03/davis-school-district-drug-testing/>.
CNN. Study: Kids Drink, Do Drugs at School. YouTube. Google, 22 Aug. 2012. Web.
11 Apr. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xS_vO10PLY>.
Independent Press. "Millburn High School Junior Top Online Vote-Getter in
Anti-Drug Song Contest." NewJersey.com. New Jersey On-Line, 1 Apr. 2013.
Web. 9 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2013/04/millburn_high_school_junior_to.html>.
Dubill, Christa. "Rockhurst High School Drug Testing Policy Sends Ripple through
City." KSHB. KSHB, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/rockhurst-high-school-drug-testing-policy-sends-ripple-through-city>.
At Millburn High School, there is a drug song contest to promote anti-drug use. This is a good idea for Westfield High School to use because it will promote drug awareness for the students, and faculty. According to (Millburn High School junior Top online vote-getter in anti-drug song contest) Nicole Levine who is one of the finalists will compete against 38 other students from 16 counties in New Jersey during the New Jersey Shout Down Drugs Music Contest in NJPAC on May 23. The top three finalists will compete for one of three music contracts worth $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000. According to (Millburn Student A Finalist in Shout Down Drugs Contest)”Shout Down Drugs challenges high school students to create original music and lyrics with powerful substance abuse prevention messages to allow teens to deliver the prevention message to each other through their favorite medium.” Westfield High School should hold their own Drug Song Contest because it will teach students the damages drugs can do to them. The winner could receive a prize, of money or a gift card to the store of their choice. This would motivate students to participate in this event. In conclusion, an anti-drug song contest would be an effect way to prevent drug use and abuse at Westfield High School.
Some schools have random drug testing on their students. If Westfield High School does random drug tests, students will be afraid of taking drugs because of the fear of getting caught with them. If Westfield High School randomly tests students for drug use, they will never know when the drug testings are going to take place, which could help prevent students from taking drugs. (Davis School District Drug Testing) At Davis High School they randomly test some of the students involved with sports and extracurricular activities. If Westfield High School does random drug testing there would definitely be a major decrease in the amount of student drug usage. (The Effectiveness of Mandatory-Random Student Drug Testing)There was thirty four percent of students tested that they were probably going to use drugs. If Westfield High School did random drug testing, a lot of students would have the fear of being caught with the results of using drugs recently or even being caught with the possession of drugs. This would help prevent kids abusing drugs in Westfield High School because people will be afraid of being caught with the use of drugs. Over half of the students in the survey said that students won’t take drugs because of the fear of getting caught (Drug testing N.J. middle-school students cuts back on future use, study says). In Rockhurst High School they are using hair from the students. if the student is using drugs they give the student 90 days to become drug free. (Rockhurst High School drug testing policy sends ripple through city).
Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/rockhurst-high-school-drug-testing-policy-sends-ripple-through-city#ixzz2QXI8d6iQ
Schools in New Jersey have implemented drug sniffing dogs that roam around schools looking for drugs. In Nutley Township they had a locker search and found someone with marijuana (Drug Dogs Sniff out Marijuana in Nutley High School Locker Search). At Sachem High School North a dog was able to sniff out 2 grams of cocaine in a student's backpack. If Westfield high school had drug sniffing dogs, there would be a major decrease in drugs. “The point isn’t so much to make arrests as it is to just make it as hard as possible for anyone to bring drugs into school (Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools).” The best-trained dogs have an accuracy rate of 85 to 90 percent, said James Greco, the head trainer for Long Island K-9 Service. If the dogs are 85 percent accurate that would cut down on a lot of drugs at any high school, including Westfield.
These are some different policies about drugs that have been put into place at schools. (Drug Dogs Sniff out Marijuana in Nutley High School Locker Search) Drugs in Schools Policy (Drugs in School Policies) (Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools).
To summarize, drugs in Westfield High School are a huge problem. Many students are taking drugs at the high school. This is an unsettled situation and it must be fixed immediately. This problem can be resolved by hosting contests that go against drug use. Testing students for drug use can also be effective. Lastly, locker searches can help catch the students who are taking drugs. It’s been a long time since drugs were first initiated in Westfield High School and it’s time that people start taking action against them.
WORKS CITED
*Star-Ledger Staff. "Drug Testing N.J. Middle-School Students Cuts Back on Future
Use, Study Says." New Jersey. New Jersey On-Line, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 10 Apr.
2013. <http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2013/03/drug_testing_middle-school_stu.html>.
Schweber, Nate. "Drug-Sniffing Dogs Patrol More Schools." The New York Times.
New York Times, 20 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/nyregion/long-island/22Rsniff.html?_r=0>.
"Prescription Drug Addiction among Teens." Recovery Resources Online. Sober
Recovery, 29 Oct. 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
<http://local.soberrecovery.com/
Prescription_Drug_Addiction_among_Teens_Westfield_NJ-r1298761-Westfield_NJ.html>.
Nsw.edu.au. "Drugs in School Policies." NSW Government. Drug Prevention
Programs, 15 July 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2013. <https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/student_serv/student_welfare/drug_incid/PD20020040.shtml>.
North Jersey News. "Millburn Student a Finalist in Shout down Drugs Contest."
NorthJersey.com. North Jersey Media Group, 2 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Apr.
2013. <http://www.northjersey.com/news/201087891_Millburn_student_a_finalist_in_Shout_Down_Drugs_contest.html>.
New Jersey Local New Service. "Drug Dogs Sniff out Marijuana in Nutley High
School Locker Search." NewJersey.com. New Jersey On-Line, 21 May 2009. Web.
10 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2009/05/drug_dogs_sniff_out_marijuana.html>.
Cox, Kim. "Davis School District Drug Testing." ElevenNews. ElevenNews, 19 Mar.
2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://elevennews.byu.edu/2013/03/davis-school-district-drug-testing/>.
CNN. Study: Kids Drink, Do Drugs at School. YouTube. Google, 22 Aug. 2012. Web.
11 Apr. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xS_vO10PLY>.
Independent Press. "Millburn High School Junior Top Online Vote-Getter in
Anti-Drug Song Contest." NewJersey.com. New Jersey On-Line, 1 Apr. 2013.
Web. 9 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2013/04/millburn_high_school_junior_to.html>.
Dubill, Christa. "Rockhurst High School Drug Testing Policy Sends Ripple through
City." KSHB. KSHB, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. <http://www.kshb.com/dpp/news/education/rockhurst-high-school-drug-testing-policy-sends-ripple-through-city>.