DRUG SCREENING

School Gives Students A Choice

A few might argue with Pearl High School's new policy that random
drug-testing infringes on students' privacy rights, but it shouldn't carry
a whole lot of weight.

Beginning in August, the policy - similar to ones in Tupelo, McComb and
Madison school districts - gives students a choice. If you want to
participate in extracurricular activities like sports, band, cheerleading,
dance, etc., then you'll accept random drug and alcohol screenings.

Most employers today have some kind of chemical abuse policy, especially
where a job can cause injury to others. There must be a balance between
individual liberty and the good of the whole, and children deserve utmost
protection.

Schools today are not of the halcyon days gone by, a la The Andy Griffith
Show. Today, Opie is as likely to be approached by a fellow student dealing
drugs in a suburban school as he is to be out catching crawdads by the creek.

And it's not a given that those engaged in vigorous sports are immune, as
attested to by the sad case last year of Jeremy Bibbs, a former football
standout from Northwest High School ousted from the team over a felony drug
charge.

The policy should, however, be helpful, not punitive: to help students
avoid abuse and addiction and a life of crime without undue criminal
prejudice. Good kids can mess up.