1. School Drug Testing - Pros & Cons of Student Drug Testing at Schools
There are many pros and cons in the school drug testing debate that is a hot topic of discussion
in schools and amongst parents, teachers and students these days.
Some say that the main purpose of random school drug testing is not to catch kids using drugs,
but to prevent them from ever using drugs, illegal or not. Once teenagers are using drugs it is
much harder for them to break their addiction. Maybe it's the issue of peer pressure, which is
the greatest cause of kids trying drugs. If by testing the athletes or other school leaders, we can
get them to say no to drugs, it will be easier for other kids to say no.
On the other hand, one of the fundamental features of our legal system is that we are presumed
innocent of any wrongdoing unless and until the government proves otherwise. Random school
drug testing of student athletes turns this presumption on its head, telling students that we
assume they are using drugs until they prove to the contrary with a urine sample.
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"If school officials have reason to believe that a particular student is using drugs, they already
have the power to require that student to submit to a drug test," said ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney
David Rocah.
The constitutional prohibition against "unreasonable" searches also embodies the principle that
merely belonging to a certain group is not a sufficient reason for a search, even if many
members of that group are suspected of illegal activity. For example, even if it were true that
most women with red sports cars were drug users, the police would not be free to stop all
women who drive red sports cars and search them for illegal drugs.
Students who participate in athletics, music programs, and after-school activities could
increasingly be subject to random drug testing under a program promoted by the Bush
administration. There are some parents, teachers and school officials who are calling it a heavy-
handed, ineffective way to discourage drug use that undermine trust and invades students'
privacy.
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In many workplaces and in the military, there's been drug abuse testing going on, but courts
have ruled that public schools cannot impose random tests on an entire student body.
However, the Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that schools could randomly test student athletes
who are not suspected of drug use. In 2002 it was ruled that all students who participate in
voluntary activities, like cheerleading, band, or debate, could be subjected to random tests as
well. Since then, the Bush administration has spent $8 million to help schools pay for drug
testing programs. The White House hopes to spend $15 million on drug-testing grants in the
next fiscal year.