COURT CORRECT ON STUDENTS: TEST 'EM ALL

The Supreme Court struck a resounding blow for fairness Thursday when they
ruled that school districts should be able to conduct random drug tests on
all students involved in extracurricular activities. Previously, only
student athletes were required to submit to such tests. The question now is
how much further will school districts be able to push the limits on future
drug testing -- could random urinalysis tests eventually be administered to
all students, whether they participate in extracurricular activities or
not, and if so, what would the consequences be?

The purpose of random drug tests in most school districts that administer
them is not to punish, but to prevent. They provide student athletes with a
powerful incentive to stay drug-free and remain active in school athletics.
There's no reason to believe that such testing won't have the same result
on students who pursue non-athletic extracurricular activities, and no
reason to single athletes out for scrutiny.

Samplings of several school districts across the country that now
administer random drug testing to student athletes reveals an overwhelming
pattern of conscientiousness toward young drug users that could serve as a
model for deterrence. Ignoring some of the minutiae of the testing
procedure (no testing except by written parental consent, choosing students
by blind lottery, Social Security number, or other methods) and cutting to
the chase, students who come up positive in random urinalysis testing
generally are handled in the following fashion:

Following parental notification, student athletes and their parents must
meet in conference with their school principal. The student athlete is
given a choice: Be suspended from the team or participate in an assistance
program while submitting to regular (usually weekly) urinalysis testing. A
second positive drug test results in suspension from school athletics for
the rest of the season, and in some districts, the next. A third violation
results in suspension for two seasons, an eternity in high school sports.

Extending this type of drug testing (and its application of consequences)
to all high school students involved in extracurricular activities seems
not only fair to us, but a tremendously effective method of fighting the
spread of drug use and abuse among our young people.

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of American high school students
participate in some form of extracurricular activity; that's a lot of young
people that could be motivated not to use drugs by virtue of having random
drug testing policies in place; we'd like to see that number rise to 100
percent -- every child, no matter whether they play football, are a member
of the debate team, or just hang out should be kept drug-free, if at all
possible.