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Perrysburg a Top 10 family-friendly town plans to drug-test kids

Two unrelated stories on two consecutive days that seem a bit comical when added together.

I'm guessing they can't drug-test the teachers because the union won't allow it.


"Family Circle cites town as family-friendly" :

Last fall, Ohio Magazine named Perrysburg one of the state's top five hometowns. Now, the city has received accolades on the national level. The August, 2009, edition of Family Circle that hits newsstands Tuesday lists Perrysburg as one of America's 10 best towns to raise a family. Family Circle is one of the world's most widely distributed monthlies, with a circulation of 3.8 million and a readership it puts at 21 million.

"Obviously, it puts us on the map. It lets other people know we're doing things right now," Perrysburg Mayor Nelson Evans said. "Hopefully, it's another feather in our cap for businesses looking to relocate."

The magazine said it limited its search to communities with populations between 15,000 and 150,000 people. So what's keeping people in Perrysburg and drawing a few more? Colleen Schwartz, Family Circle spokesman, said the magazine identified Perrysburg with the help of a New York research firm, Onboard Informatics, which specializes in real-estate data and demographics.

She said Family Circle was particularly impressed by Perrysburg schools. She said it based most of its decisions about schools on information provided by www.greatschools.net, which rates Perrysburg schools 9 out of 10.

The magazine will be even more impressed now that the school system will weed out the druggies.

After more than an hour of discussion Tuesday morning, the Perrysburg school board approved a first-ever drug testing policy for junior high and high school students. Board member Barry Van Hoozen cast the only dissenting vote. He said he was not opposed to the policy but was opposed to the idea of using a federal grant to pay for it. "If we believe in it, we should pay for it," he said.

As it is, drug testing for high school athletes will be paid for with a three-year, $41,000 grant obtained through the Wood County Educational Service Center. Five other Wood County districts — Elmwood, North Baltimore, Northwood, Otsego, and Rossford — also shared in the grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Perrysburg’s policy calls for testing athletes and high school students who drive to school for an unspecified list of illegal substances at the start of each season or school year and randomly testing them during the season or year. The federal grant only will pay for testing high school athletes, but Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler said he plans to find funding to pay for testing junior high athletes and student drivers.
created by jr on Jul 07, 2009 at 09:49:46 pm
updated by jr on Jul 08, 2009 at 02:31:21 pm     Comments: 13

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tags: perrysburg   education   humor   

Comments ... #

Best laugh of the day, jr. Thanks for your sharp eye and irreverent wit!

posted by historymike on Jul 08, 2009 at 02:50:01 pm     #



I don’t understand the supposed contradiction. There is nothing wrong with being friendly to families that actually care what their kids are up to. I am all for it. If more families actually took the measures that sometimes have to be forced upon them there would be a lot less juvenile delinquency. I know nobody hear can actually debate the advantage of kids on drugs, right?

posted by Ryan on Jul 08, 2009 at 04:19:42 pm     #



Well, as a parent of more children than I can count on one hand, I have made use in the past of home drug-testing kits to keep tabs on my teens, so I am hardly "pro-drug." Being against an ill-conceived drug law does not mean that a person supports drug use (this is also known as the fallacy of the false dlemma).

However, I do have problems with the plan. I resent the government intruding into the lives of private citizens - even drug users - and I especially dislike the idea that the government is trying to play parent. Also, why target only the athletes? A stoned kid is just as likely to cause trouble or get hurt riding a bike as he is playing basketball or football.

I think our collective mentalité regarding the failure that is the so-called War on Drugs needs to change. Millions of people have been incarcerated in the past two-plus decades for possession of relatively small amounts of illegal intoxicants, and the problems have not significantly improved. I think it is time to examine decriminalization of drug possession, taxation of all intoxicants, and taking the tax money and investing it into rehab and education.

Prohibition should have taught us one thing: outlawing a popular intoxicant not only drives up prices and usage but also feeds organized crime in the form of traffickers and money-launderers.

(Full disclosure: historymike has long since given up any and all intoxicants, and his anti-drug law stance is based on civil libertarian grounds and his distrust of government intrusions into the private lives of free citizens).

posted by historymike on Jul 08, 2009 at 06:58:56 pm     #



Well said Mike.

posted by justareviewer on Jul 08, 2009 at 08:23:41 pm     #



According to several friends who live in Perrysburg there is a huge heroin problem with the teens there. Too much money and not enough supervision at home was their guess.

posted by roygbiv on Jul 08, 2009 at 10:14:11 pm     #



Against it. It actually discourages students from getting help/tx.

posted by corky on Jul 09, 2009 at 12:02:52 am     #



There are going to be plenty of kids who don't like this at all... both the drug users who drive to school (likely the minority) who now have to choose between drugs or driving, and then the drug-free athletes and drivers (likely majority) who now have to pee into a cup at random intervals just to prove they're clean.

This may end up helping some at risk kids avoid the problems that illicit drugs can cause, but at the same time it blatantly encroaches upon innocent people's civil liberties. Still a far cry from the best solution, in my opinion.

posted by housebeats on Jul 10, 2009 at 09:31:28 am     #



If you're not dirty, then pee'n in a cup shouldn't bother you.

posted by bbaker172 on Jul 10, 2009 at 07:07:51 pm     #



Here's a bit more of why I think this is a somewhat humorous story. Jul 8, 2009 Toledo Blade article

Perrysburg Superintendent Tom Hosler said his district is to receive about $41,000 over three years to test its high school athletes but will have to find another source of funding to test junior high athletes and student drivers. "They will be tested, but we'll have to find a different revenue stream," he said. An average drug test that checks for the use of four to six drugs costs about $16 per test, Mr. Hosler said.

While the district does not plan to tell students which drugs they'll be tested for, he said it's likely they'll be checking for alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and prescription medications - the most prevalent substances abused by students. The policy also lists anabolic steroids as a drug for which athletes may be tested, and Mr. Hosler said steroids are something the district will look at.

The athletes will "likely" be tested for nicotine, but they "may" be tested for steroids. If it's a "real" drug test for the athletes, then you announce to the world that the athletes "will" be tested for steroids.

I like how the the P-burg school system claims it will not tell the students what drugs they'll be tested for, but then Super Hosler tells the Blade reporter which drugs the students will likely be tested for.

posted by jr on Jul 10, 2009 at 07:36:51 pm     #



bbaker172:

Some corrollaries:

1. If you aren't making obscene midnight phone calls to little old ladies, then a tapped phone line shouldn't bother you.

2. If you aren't a terrorist, then an occasional warrant-less search of your home shouldn't bother you.

3. If you aren't visiting child pornography sites, then a government chip in your PC shouldn't bother you.

4. If you aren't laudering money for the mob, then letting the government access your bank account records shouldn't bother you.

See the point?

posted by historymike on Jul 10, 2009 at 09:38:47 pm     #



Apples meet oranges. They are not testing teens for drugs who are home schooled.

People who defend drug use look ridiculous, period.

posted by Ryan on Jul 10, 2009 at 09:40:49 pm     #



Who is defending drug use?

These dimwits in the Perrysburg school system don't yet know if they're going to drug-test athletes for steroids. It seems common sense to me that if you're drug-testing athletes, steroids would be at the top of the list. Otherwise, this new policy looks like a joke.

What's beautiful is this drug-testing policy is being paid for by taxpayer money from the U.S. Department of Education. So building a math lab or a creative writing center with that money is unnecessary, eh? This drug-testing grant money should have come from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

"According to several friends who live in Perrysburg there is a huge heroin problem with the teens there. Too much money and not enough supervision at home was their guess."

So bring in government to do the role of the parents.

Right now, only high school athletes will be tested because Perrysburg doesn't have the money to test anyone else. How will this new, taxpayer-funded, drug-testing policy catch the heroin-using non-athletes?

posted by jr on Jul 11, 2009 at 12:23:12 am     #



How about drug testing the teachers at random.How would they like having that done to them?Do parents want druggies teaching their children?What ever happened to probable cause or are our kids now considered guilty until they prove themselves innocent.

posted by buckeye278 on Jul 11, 2009 at 01:10:31 pm     #