Search the Teachers?

From Hawaii, and then Detroit, by way of the Philadelphia Examiner

DISCLAIMER: This article is presented for information, discussion, and reflection ONLY. It does not suggest the absence or presence of any drug related activity within the Morrisville School District.

Here's a twist to the drug-sniffing dogs that routinely patrol our schools protecting the children.

What about the teachers and staff? Should they get doggie-sniffed and be subject to random searches of their work spaces? Is it an "age" thing, because the students are minors and we the adults are protecting them in loco parentis? But, you protest, 18 year old students get searched too.

What a tangled web we weave...

Will teachers be drug tested in Hawaii and other states?
December 28, 11:36 PM by Donna Gundle-Krieg, Detroit Education Examiner

Do you think that Michigan teachers would ever accept 11% pay raises in return for allowing random drug testing?

That's just what teachers in Hawaii did, and now they are fighting the random tests as illegal violation of their privacy rights.

The sticky point seems to be the definition of random. The teachers' union defines random" as "limited to a pool of teachers who go on field trips, work with disabled children, are frequently absent or have criminal records."

On the other hand, the school district wants to have the power to decide when the random tests will occur.

In 2007, 61% of the teachers agreed to the contract giving them pay hikes in exchange for this loss of privacy.

The new contract mean that new teachers now earn $43,157 per year, while teachers with more than 33 years of experience earn $79,170 a year.

The drug testing section of the Hawaii agreement was spurred because during a recent six month period, the Education Department had six employees that were arrested in drug cases, included a special education teacher who pled guilty to selling more than $40,000 worth of crystal methamphetamine to an undercover agent.

These drug taking teachers are unusual. According to the Associated Press, about 4% of teachers nationwide reported using illegal drugs. This is among the lowest rates of any profession.

Only a handful of school districts in the nation require drug testing for teachers.

The Hawaii Labor Relations Board will vote on this issue soon, and the American Civil Liberties Union has said it plans to sue the state claiming the program violates privacy rights, costs taxpayers too much money, and does little to curb drug use.

Personally I agree that drug testing is not necessary unless it's warranted.

My many years of experience in Human Resources taught me that the most resourceful drug users know how to beat the tests. In addition, many of the most dangerous drugs leave a person's system quickly, while marijuana stays in the body for months.

However, the teachers voted on this contract and received a hefty pay raise for the agreement. They can't have it both ways.