Public school teachers should have to get pre-hire drug tests
Have you heard that school buses are getting seat belts?
Here's another question regarding safety for school children: Why aren't all prospective schoolteachers required to submit to pre-employment drug tests in California?
I've asked this question in the past and resubmit it in response to The Associated Press investigation on teacher sexual misconduct ("A breach of trust in nation's classrooms," Oct. 21-23, Page A-1).
I've been offered a few answers. The first being: "They are!"
Many people think so, but it's not true. Teachers are fingerprinted and subject to a comprehensive California Department of Justice background check. But the check does not include a metabolic drug screen. Do you know any substance abusers who never have been caught? Yeah, me too.
The other answer I get from teachers and others is: "It's a matter of privacy."
We all enjoy our privacy. It's identified as a civil right. But as a government employee, my job requires pre-employment drug screening. The application process includes a urine test and answering multipage questionnaire. Technically, teachers work for the state. Other state employees are required to undergo pre-employment drug testing. In fact, most occupations in today's economy -- blue- and white-collar -- require pre-employment drug testing. The employer usually pays the cost. Such testing weeds out candidates who might pose a safety or theft risk or have an unhealthy lifestyle that can lead to absenteeism and loss of productivity. Even most professional athletes are screened.
Don't the children of our state deserve the same protection as sports fans from substance abusers? Those who want to play sports in high school have been subject to drug tests since a 1995 Supreme Court decision allowed it. In 2002, the court expanded suspicionless testing for those who want to participate in any extracurricular activity. Some school districts have begun random tests of larger portions of the entire student body, though this practice is in dispute as an invasion of privacy.
Meanwhile, those October Associated Press stories exposed incidents of sexual misconduct and abuse by a very small percentage of teachers.
Have you heard the term "dual diagnosis"? It defines a person who suffers from a mental illness, such as pedophilia, and misuses drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. A person with a "dual diagnosis" is basically a mentally ill addict who might or might not be in treatment.
This does not include people living with mental illness and taking prescription drugs as part of their treatment. There are productive, healthy, happy people with mental health diagnoses who thrive with proper therapy.
Tenured teachers who are mentally ill or have a substance-abuse problem should be offered any and all support -- including leave and required treatment. Those who are unwilling or unable to get well need to be dismissed.
As a former Ceres Unified School Board member, I know it's difficult and costly to dismiss teachers who have achieved tenure. It makes sense to thoroughly screen teacher candidates before they are hired. The state of California, school districts and all teachers associations should be in favor of mandated, pre-employment drug screening for teachers.
It's an issue of safety, not privacy.
Wyatt is a visiting editor at The Bee. Contact her at columns@modbee.com
This story was originally published December 4, 2007 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Public school teachers should have to get pre-hire drug tests."