Pubdate: Tue, 20 May 2003 Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO) Copyright: 2003 The Springfield News-Leader Contact: http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) SAY NO TO SUSPICIONLESS DRUG TESTS Marshfield latest to consider random tests. Marshfield High School is considering joining the small but growing number of schools who teach one thing in their social studies class and quite another in their school board policies. The board could vote next month to require random drug testing of any student involved in an extracurricular activity. It is a policy that, at is very core, says: You've signed up for band. Therefore, you are suspicious. It goes completely counter to the philosophy inherent in the Bill of Rights' Fourth Amendment: The government should have some basis for suspicion before searching an American citizen. Sadly, the Supreme Court ignored the plain words of the Fourth Amendment. In a 5-4 ruling last year, it said public school officials could require students in extracurricular activities to be subjected to random drug tests. It is a ruling that history will judge among the court's worst. But school districts, which should know better, haven't been able to resist the invitation. Carl Junction High School, among the first in Missouri to start testing athletes when the court opened that door, quickly added all activities this year. It has tested hundreds of students across the years. Almost all come back negative. Is it really worth the money and the mockery of basic American principles for the few positive results? We don't believe so. Education budgets are under siege; random and largely fruitless drug tests hardly rise to the level of a top priority. And at a time when civil liberties are being questioned across the country, schools should be one place where they are honored. If that's not enough, consider a few practical matters. Studies have shown that students involved in extracurricular activities, whether athletics, music or the Science Olympiad, are far less likely to try or use drugs than other students. Random drug testing targets the students who already are most likely to post negative results. Urine tests target illegal drugs. They can't identify students who abuse alcohol or prescription drugs. If the point is to catch and help students making destructive decisions, these tests skip right over the substances most likely to be abused. If the point is to give students a reason to say no, the tests fail on the same account. Schools originally turned to random drug testing because administrators feared lawsuits if they asked students who raised suspicions of abuse to take a test. Instead, they have chosen to cast suspicion on everyone - and hope the number comes up for those they really do want to test. It is a goofy way to solve a limited problem. Random drug tests give the appearance of getting tough on drug abuse without actually accomplishing anything. They turn civics classes into an exercise in hypocrisy. Random drug tests should be jettisoned, not expanded. We urge Marshfield to just say no. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager