Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2008 Journal Sentinel Inc. Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/submit.asp Website: http://www.jsonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265 Author: Pete Meinberg Drug Testing HIGH SCHOOLERS DESERVE MORE RESPECT Regarding school drug testing, the key words are "random" and "suspicionless" ("Board to vote on drug tests," Jan. 9). The Fourth Amendment requires a warrant and probable cause to conduct a search, unless it's "reasonable." I weirdly feel like the town hippie for pointing out that, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in the dissenting opinion of the 5-4 decision that allowed this, "We (in schools) are not to strangle the free mind at its source and teach youth to discount important principles of our government as mere platitudes." If my daughter starts her young adult life having her government, without suspicion, accusatorily check her bodily fluids for wrongdoing, won't that lower the bar for future decisions her generation makes when they are in charge of this free democracy? These are the values I want the high school to reinforce: Work hard. Care. Respect people. Don't be a hypocrite. Understand that people are innocent until proven guilty. Until they invent a urinalysis to test for those things, I'll rely on the school to guide her the old-fashioned and reasonable way: through example, high expectations, respect and inspiration. Pete Meinberg Rubicon - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom