Pubdate: Sun, 14 Jul 2002 Source: Herald, The (WA) Copyright: 2002 The Daily Herald Co. Contact: http://www.heraldnet.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190 Author: Dean Peckham Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) SUPREME COURT Ruling On Drug Testing Makes Sense I would like to respond to Dustin Boucher's July 7 letter titled, "Supreme Court: Recent decision should scare us all." The only court decisions that should scare us all are the one's coming from the liberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. I only thank God that the majority of the Supreme Court is conservative enough to apply common sense, rather than misguided liberal ideologies. In reference to drug testing he states, "Such action is no different than the police searching your home without a warrant." I hope this isn't what Mr. Boucher is teaching his students, because if he is, they are in for a rude awakening when they get out in the real world. Read the classified section of this newspaper and see how many jobs require drug testing as a condition to employment. If you don't want to get drug tested, don't apply for the job - or if you're in school don't get involved in extracurricular activities. Our schools are practically war zones, and drugs are the primary reason. Rather than teaching his students what Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg wrote, he should try reading them Justice Clarence Thomas' opinion to the court. His opinion included the following: "A student's privacy interest is limited in a public school environment where the State is responsible for maintaining discipline, health and safety. Schoolchildren are routinely required to submit to physical examinations and vaccinations against disease ... Securing order in the school environment sometimes requires that students be subjected to greater controls than those appropriate for adults. DEAN PECKHAM Arlington - --- MAP posted-by: Beth