DRUG TESTING VIOLATES TEACHERS' CIVIL RIGHTS

Once again, David Shapiro has missed the point regarding the
constitutional rights of others. In his July 23 column, he criticizes
the Hawaii State Teachers Association for now opposing random drug
testing.

What he does not remember is that many teachers opposed random drug
testing and the relinquishing of their rights of privacy at the time
of the vote, but they were outvoted by those who were blinded by the
promise of a much-deserved pay raise.

Furthermore, the testing clause was not one that could have been
rejected in part, because the governor said it was a deal breaker.

Would you really have wanted another strike that would have only hurt
our children, Mr. Shapiro?

A pay raise should be based upon performance and need, and not whether
one wishes to give up a civil right, especially one as important as
privacy. This is not a contractual issue, but a constitutional issue
that goes to the basics of our democracy.

And shame on the governor for attaching such a clause to well-earned
raises so that she can tell the public that she is cracking down on
drug-addicted teachers.

The testing of 1 percent of the teachers every year would be purely
shibai. It would be a better use of resources to test only when
reasonable suspicion exits, or there is a prior history of delinquency
that needs to be monitored.

William Bento
'Ewa Beach