You are right teach2reach. And just think, if they got rid of Ms. Pierce’s exorbitant salary for making dumb comments like this, what all could be accomplished. Gee, let me weigh the options. Textbooks, teachers or a talking head. Don’t EVEN get me started on the rest of the dumb moves by our local school board though. Thank goodness there are teachers and principals that persevere. Keep up the good work to all those that really care and do right by our children!

By the way, MGM’s drug form policy was in place last spring for the Prom, but no one seemed to be offended then.  Maybe the school should just stick to academics in lieu of attempting to provide social opportunities for its children.  No pep rallys, no pageants, no assemblies, no dances, no fun.  Let them just educate the mind instead of the whole child.  Heck, they shouldn’t even take up money for charities.  Kids can learn philanthropy on their own time.  What a great world this will be!

Boy, Nancy Pierce should really retire.  A high school dance is clearly an extracurricular activity.  If the school board and superintendent believe otherwise, then perhaps that should have clearly communicated that to the principals when they enacted the drug testing procedures.  If driving on campus is a privilege and participating in clubs and sports is a privilege, then logic and reason dictates that attending a school sponsored dance is also a privilege.  Personally, I don’t think the general public realizes or appreciates the hard work and dedication that teachers put forth in order to ensure that teenagers have activities to do.  Why not reward the good kids instead of punishing them?

I like him when I was at MGM 98-00, cuz he always had a bottle of vodka in his desk. Will these drugs tests include BAC for him?

I Thank God that “Mr. Romeo” is STILL in the School
System! (that is what we called in when I was at Vigor over 30 years ago….you know why we called him that?) We loved him and he loved us! And If All of the Schools would and COULD do this all of Our
Children would be Much Better off!
The Sad Part is Parents need to Back the TEACHERS!
Most of the teachers know more of what your kids are up to then you could realize!
YOU GO “ROMEO”!

You may be right kx. But, since it’s “random,” and no one will know if they are going to be chosen or when they are going to do it, it may make some of them think twice before doing anything at all. Or, maybe not.

This just means kids are going to quit smoking pot, which stays in the system for over a month, in favor for things that take less amount of time to vanish from a drug test. That includes alcohol, cocaine, crack, and opiates. If you get all geeked up on coke on Friday night, it’s not going to show up on Monday…If you smoked a little pot the day before school started this year, you’d still test positive today!

The truth is the schools are not going to pay for these drug tests themselves and the school board can not afford to drug test all the kids in the MCPSS, all these forms are for, is to scare kids into thinking that if they want to participate in extra activities they need to be signed, and just in case they suspect a child is using they can test that child because they have permission. Its works, because less and less children are doing drugs, atleast at my local high school, and i agree that a dance in an extra activity, its not required that you have a homecomign or prom dance, its a priveledge. I see nothing wrong with this, I think if another student from another school is coming to this dance he/she does need to have the principle sign saying there form has been signed by there parents to ok this if neccessary!

You are right minimay. I know my kids have told me about some of the activities of friends they had in elementary and middle school, and who would have thought they would be doing what they are now. Very sad.

Concerned mom: The policy is for “extracurricular” activities. Do you remember reading that was for those who participated in sports, band, field trips etc? Not all of those activities take place on campus either, so the argument that it is off campus is null and void. This is still an extracurricular activity-one done outside the classroom,that is not a requirement, and you don’t get credit for it. I know my kids are good kids and I know that I can trust them, BUT I also know that if they were pulling something over on me, I’d rather know about it upfront, than through an arrest or accident. I also know that as a teen in the 80’s, I was a pro at pulling stuff over on MY parents-and there was far less to worry about in those days, than now. Don’t be naive. Mr. Romano was an assistant principal when I went there, and he is a GREAT principal NOW. I fully support his decision, and sincerely think all schools should do this.

My kids have already said that the only ones complaining about it at school, are the ones who brag about smoking pot, and doing drugs anyway. I quote from one of the students,“What I do on my time is none of the school’s business.“Does that give you a clue?

You can not have eyes on your teens 24/7 and odds are that they are not always going to be 100% honest as to where they are going. Getting a hold of these drugs is as easy as sending them to school. You would be surprised how many “involved” parents end up finding out that there child is doing some kind of drugs and/or drinking. It is not always the parents of children that give them too much freedom. Sometimes it is the parents that are too strict.