Laws+and+Regulations

Heather Charron = Laws and Regulations =

What are the laws and regulations regarding drugs and alcohol in high schools?

Scholarly
**Summary:** This scholary article is a cross-national study, comparing student samples from Australia and the USA. "Sampling methods were matched to recruit two independent, state-representative, cross-sectional samples of students in Grades 5, 7 and 9 in Washington State, USA, (n ¼ 2866) and Victoria, Australia (n ¼ 2864) in 2002. Of Washington students in Grade 5 (age 11), 10.3% (95% CI 7.2 –14.7) of boys and 5.2% (95% CI 3.4–7.9) of girls reported alcohol use in the past year. Prevalence rates were markedly higher in Victoria (34.2%, 95% CI 28.8 –40.1 boys; 21.0%, 95% CI 17.1– 25.5 girls)." The article compares the data from the US compared to Australia for grades 5, 7, and 9. The students in Australia showed a increased likelihood of reporting substance use (either alcohol, tobacco or illicit drug use). The articles shows how the students in Australia in grade 9 experience "loss-of-control of alcohol use, binge drinking (frequent episodes of ﬁve or more alcoholic drinks), and injuries related to alcohol were two to four times higher." The article then used the research to analyze the USA's policies and practices concerning drug and alcohol abuse in minors.
 * TOUMBOUROU, J. W., HEMPHILL, S. A., MCMORRIS, B. J., CATALANO, R. F., & PATTON, G. C. (2009). Alcohol use and related harms in school students in the USA and Australia. // Health Promotion International //, // 24 //(4), 373-382. doi:10.1093/heapro/dap037. Retrieved from [].

I thought this article was interesting because it compared the USA's drug and alcohol policies to other country's based on research regarding youth's drug and alcohol use. I thought that using another way to analyze the laws and regulations the US has regarding alcohol and drugs was a good idea. This can give policy and law makers better ideas how to handle youth's drug and alcohol abuse. I thought this was relevant to my topic because the article covered different drug policies regarding minors.
 * Opinion:**


 * Waldman, E. (2010). STUDENTS' FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHTS IN SCHOOLS: STRIP SEARCHES, DRUG TESTS, AND MORE. // Touro Law Review //, // 26 //(1), 1131-1145. Retrieved from [].
 * Summary:**

This article summarized the Fourth Amendment, and used it to talk about several court cases involving the searching of students personal belonging and their person. The author divides the Court's four Fourth Amendment cases she covers into two categories: "(1) cases involving suspicion-based searches of individual students, such as the search in Redding; and (2) cases involving random, suspicionless searches of students, such as those conducted pursuant to random drug-testing policies." She covered both categories, their basic approaches, some of the open issues that remain with respect to each of them, and their underlying similarities. **Opinion:** I thought this scholarly article was a good source to have in my research. The author talked about the Fourth Amendment, which I didn't know much about, and cases regarding students being searched for drugs, which I thought was interesting. The fact that some students are being randomly searched for drugs without suspicion means that drugs and alcohol are a big problem at schools. I think that students should be told in advance that they could be searched, regardless of if there is suspicion or not.

Editorial
Unknown author. (2007, September 30). Ditch These Drug Laws. //The New York Times //, p. 19. Retrieved from [].


 * Summary:**

This editorial talks about New Jersey and their tough drug laws. The author is very opinionated and against the drug laws in NJ. He believes they are too harsh and that "Thousands of young drug users have been put in prison, reducing their chances for treatment at an age when it could turn their lives around." He thinks that the laws are costing the state thousands of unnecessary dollars. He also mentions the selling of drugs: "The most egregious of these laws is one imposing a mandatory prison term, usually three years, on anyone selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a school, even if youngsters are not involved." Overall he disagrees with the laws in NJ and thinks there are better alternatives to putting offenders into prison. 
 * Opinion:**

I'd have to say that most of what he says makes a lot of sense, but I don't agree with everything he says. I do think that they should give other options for minors, such as treatment, as he mentions. Regarding the selling of drugs, I think that selling on school property or near it is terrible and anyone doing so should receive consequences. Teens know that sellers go where they are regularly, and that they can find drugs near a school, park, or a convenience store. Getting the point across about not selling to teens or near schools by imprisoning them is a good idea. The longer they're off the streets, the better it is for teens.

Eric Digest
Beyer, Doriann. (1997). School Safety and the Legal Rights of Student. ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Institute for Urban and Minority Education, Teachers College, Box 40, Columbia University, New York, NY 1002: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education New York NY. ( ERIC/CUE Digest, Number 12) Retrieved November 28th, 2011, from []. **Summary:** This digest also covers the Fourth Amendment. It discusses the recent changes that affect the rights of students and the "parameters of schools' authority to maintain a crime-free environment". The eric talks about the right the schools have to prevent school violence. That regards making sure teens aren't using drugs or alcohol. "Case law on searches of students, supports school searches of students and their property when the search is reasonable in its inception and in its scope." The digest tells the reader how the U.S. Supreme Court supports the educators' efforts to maintain school order and discipline as well as respecting students' rights in school. The Fourth Amendment law "reflects society's fear of and disrespect for children and the lack of alternatives to police-type action that are used in the schools". **Opinion:** I thought that this article was interesting and gave me an idea about how parents, students and the U.S. Supreme Court feel towards the action being taken to reduce drug use in schools. I thought it was a good article to use for my research because it gave a good insight on different ways to discipline students and a different approach to drugs in schools.

Non-scholarly
Tierney, John. (2008, October 10). The Drug Czar's Report Card: F. //The New York Times //, p. 1. Retrieved from [].
 * Summary:**

This news paper article covers different laws, projects and strategy's used over the years to prevent and lessen drug use. The article also "grades" each one that is talked about. The author doesn't like most of the different plans for drugs, because most of them fail. He gives the laws an F.


 * Opinion:**

I thought this article was interesting. The author went into a lot of detail about how the different plans didn't work.

Home Page

**EDC 102 Final Project Rubric for Part I: Background Research**
 * Name: Heather Charron **
 * Score: **
 * **Points awarded** || **(Points Possible) Criteria** ||
 * || (1) Research was summarized on the team's issue page. ||
 * || (2) Five articles summarized, including: ||
 * || • (1) At least one editorial or viewpoint essay. (From Opposing Viewpoints, CQ Researcher, or Op/Ed from reputable magazine or newspaper.) ||
 * || • (1) At least one analysis article from a magazine or reputable newspaper. ||
 * || • (1) At least two journal articles. ||
 * || • (1) At least one related ERIC summary article or CQ Researcher Report. ||
 * || (3) Article entries include a APA* citation, a summary paragraph, and a reaction paragraph. ||
 * || **Total Points** ||

Note:
 * __Extra__ points may be awarded for exceptional work.
 * Points may be __deducted__ if page is not proofread.