The Moxie Mountie

February 2016 Editorial 3

Drug tests invade
Moxie Minds
Staff Editorial
personal privacy
Sydney Rhines
Senior Editor-in-Chief
During the process of
obtaining a job, a person must
either pass or fail a drug test.
However, during school,
students do not have to and
should not ever have to pass
one to stay in school.
Coming to school is a
mandatory state requirement.
Testing to see if a student is on
any drugs, then taking action
if they are, is the exact opposite of what the testing
would be for.
Requiring a student to pass a test to make sure they
are clean of drugs will do nothing but hurt them and

Illustration by Genna Barner

the school. Depending on the repercussions of the
situation, a person may lose education that is vital
to their future. If students lose the chance to learn, it
would cause overall test scores to plummet.
Forcing a student to prove they are not on any type

Raising awareness for mental illness

As students go through the nat-
ural changes of life, some often
feel mixed emotions that can be
difficult to describe. Develop-
ness. Mental instabilities are
not something that should be
idealized or romanticized. It
is problematic and disturb-
of drug is an invasion of privacy and shows a lack of
respect between administration and student.
Bringing drug tests into a place where students are
learning important life skills is only a situation that
will bring negatives into the lives of all affected by
Story Highlights the situation.
Mental illness should not be taken as

ing unhealthy methods of cop-
ing with these emotional hard-
ships has the possibility to lead
to more serious issues including
depression, countless forms of
anxiety, eating disorders, and
ing when people attempt to
seek beauty in these disor-
ders instead of urging those
suffering to seek help.
In order to combat this
growing issue, students
The
a joke. It can happen to any person.
Self-diagnosing is unsafe and can lead
to the wrong treatment.
Students need to be taught more

obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The stress students face each
day between school and their
personal lives has caused mental
illnesses to become more promi-
nent in young adults today.
Emotional instability is too
Fighting
must be educated accurate- about mental illnesses so that they can
ly on mental illnesses in or- help themselves and the people around
them.
der to raise awareness.
According to National
Alliance on Mental Illness, ten that, if a person needs guid-
one in five children ages 13- ance, there are professionals
18 have, or will have a serious they can turn to for comfort.

often the subject of jokes when
it should not be. The severity
of these illnesses and emotional
turmoils is largely misunder-
stood by people who do not ex-
perience them first hand.
Mental illness does not have
requirements. It can attach itself
to someone of any race, gender,
Fish
mental illness. With there being Different organizations and
a 20 percent chance of a student mental health care providers
having mental instabilities, they such as Lifeways Commu-
need to be aware of what early nity Mental Health, A Healing
warning signs are. If students Place, and Allegiance Behav- Mandatory testing holds
are concerned about their or ioral Health Services must be
someone elses well-being, they made aware to students. Teen- all students accountable
should be taught to ask a profes- agers should know where and Myranda Dillay
sional and not self-diagnose. who they can turn to within Senior Photographer

religion or age. Only the indi-
vidual experiencing the hardship
of the affliction knows exactly
how they feel, therefore, others
should not attempt to discredit
someone elses feelings.
These types of illnesses are
just as serious as physical sick-
The
Self-diagnosing is not reliable their community. With over 1,000 different
kinds of drugs some students
because it can lead to an over Those who suffer should seek
are coming to school high.
or under diagnosis. Self-diag- treatment from a therapist or
One major drug high school
nosing can lead to a misunder- psychiatrist, and should not students have easy access to
standing of what is truly going feel weak or ashamed for doing is marijuana.
wrong and can possibly lead to so. If in need, anyone can call Coming to school high is
the wrong treatment. 1-800-950-6264 for support. used to the advantage of
It should be stressed more of- keeping the normally rowdy
students calm.
However this also causes
The Moxie Mountie is the official remain unbiased and will avoid attacking

Moxie Mountie
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serve students, staff and the surrounding
2015-2016 Staff & Policy community. While our writings aim to
appeal to students, we also cover issues that
Advisor: Ron Woodruff concern our entire audience.
Editor-in-Chief: Sydney Rhines Letters to the Editor are encouraged.
If published, they will appear with the
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Genna Barner Moxie Mountie reserves the right to edit
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if necessary. The writer will be notified if
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Photographer: Myranda Dillay
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problems with the way they think and their reaction
times to certain things.
A mandatory drug test within schools would de-
crease the amount of students coming to school
high.
Student athletes are held to the expectation to not
do drugs or face repercussions within athletics.
It could be as simple as taking a small hit on a joint
and they face athletic probation.
There are students who are held to a high expec-
tation, and the only difference between them and
other students is that they get involved. Just as they
are held to this expectation all other students should
be held to the same.
There are so many recreational drugs, people are
using them to keep calm.
If athletics are held to the high standards all stu-
dents should be.
A mandatory drug test is necessary to ensure stu-
dents are holding to the expectations.