Does anyone else think that teachers and other education professionals should be drug tested?

afterall they are entrusted with the shaping of our childrens' minds and are the ones who have them 180 days a year for over 8 hours a day? I forgot to include the random testing of bus drivers not just at the annual yearly physical.

I wholeheartedly agree!

In a similar question on Yahoo Answers...one spoke of the "war on drugs." In my opinion, education is an extremely important part of fighting the problem.

If one can't trust our educators to do the right thing with our children...then we're doomed to some serious problems as a society.

When talking to children myself...I try to emphasize that they wouldn't want a pilot, surgeon, or other type professional high as a kite while taking a persons life into their hands. I don't want some doper fixing my meal thinking it's "such good stuff" I'll sprinkle a bit on the customers food! I want my automobile brakes functioning properly. My pets health care is important to my pet! I want to live and raise my child in a safe neighborhood where drive-by shootings aren't an issue so my child can safely play in the front yard and get a good education at school without having to worry about guns and drugs.

Every facet of life that involves me or my family is important to me. As such....I'd want to be sure I wasn't victimized by some foolish drug user who made a mistake at my expense.

Good idea, why not?

Here in Las Vegas they are constantly found guilty of child molestation. Sad but true

Absolutely, along with every single one of our elected governmental officials.

naa, i think teachers must be forced to get high once a month to widen their understanding of themselves and the children they work with,,,,lol.... why not?

Yes, and while we're at it we should pay the teacher's that pass the drug tests what they are worth. . .

My girlfriend is a teacher.. she says based on the conversations the teachers have when the students aren't around, there wouldn't be enough teachers left.

No reason not too.

No, they shouldn't be. I don't think anyone should be drug tested. If someone is unable to do a job properly or to behave appropriately on the job, common sense says they'll be fired anyhow. If whatever they do at home doesn't affect their performance on the job, what difference does it make?

I don't necessarily disagree or agree.

Maybe on a case by case basis. Like if a teachers performance all of the sudden starts laking or something. But now if every person who smoked pot was barred from teaching, where in the world would we get our art, english and poly sci teachers from?

Sure, but frankly I know a lot of teachers (I鈥檓 not one myself but I am very active in the school) and I don鈥檛 know any who use drugs. Maybe it鈥檚 a problem in other cities though.

But here鈥檚 what concerns me more---since teachers are 鈥渆ntrusted with the shaping of our childrens' minds" then they need to be given the authority to do their jobs. Teachers are forced to spend too of their time dealing with unruly students (parents鈥攍et鈥檚 teach our kids how to behave!) and not enough time actually teaching. And the administration is of little help because they鈥檙e afraid to do too much. The kids have to practically commit murder before they kick them out (if you don鈥檛 want to learn, then get out so my kids can learn), because the parents will start screaming that their 鈥榓ngel鈥?is being denied his/her right to an education. Yes, I鈥檝e seen it happen鈥umerous times. Then there are the gangs, the fights, the bullying, the kids selling drugs on campus, and on and on. These things concern me much more than drug testing if there is NO evidence/valid suspicion of drug use.

That's just my opinion though.

As evidenced by the poor results we see from the educational systems, drugs may be the answer- MORE
of them.
Your children's minds have been shaped, and not in a good way.

I know that I'll see a lot of thumbs down for this, but if you just look through the questions in any category here you will see the results of a botched education and the waste of a perfectly good schoolroom.