SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RANDOM DRUG TESTING FOR STUDENTS IN AFTER-SCHOOL
ACTIVITIES

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday extended the ability of schools to
randomly drug test all students who participate in competitive
extracurricular activities, a ruling that potentially could affect most
high school students and some who are in middle school.

Drug testing is rare in Upstate schools now, but Anderson District 1
Superintendent Reggie Christopher said he expects the number of schools
that do random drug tests to increase in the next decade.

In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled against a former Oklahoma high school
honor student who competed on an academic quiz team and sang in the choir,
saying that schools' interest in ridding their campuses of drugs outweighs
an individual's right to privacy.

The Pottawatomie County school system tested students involved in
extracurricular activities on the theory that by voluntarily representing
the school, those students had a lower expectation of privacy than did
students at large.

The ruling is a follow-up to a 1995 case, in which the court allowed random
urine tests for student athletes.

Greenville County leaves the decision whether to drug-test up to each
school, said Oby Lyles, district spokesman.

Berea High School gives its coaches the option to drug-test their athletes
and two -- football and softball -- do, said Principal Keith East. No
athletes have tested positive in three years' of testing, he said.

Blue Ridge High Principal Ken Southerlin said he would consider starting a
drug testing program, while Greer High Principal Marion Waters said the
cost outweighs the need.

Christopher said he'd rather be allowed to test the entire student body,
but the court stopped short of allowing that. Several justices have
indicated they'd like to answer that question at some point.