STUDY HARD ON THIS ONE

Silver Lake is acting prudently by taking its time to study whether
drug testing is warranted.

Unlike with most tests in school, there is no right or wrong answer
when it comes to drug tests and whether high schools should subject
their students to them.

Silver Lake School District is considering joining a handful of Kansas
school districts that test athletes and students in other
extracurricular activities, after several hypodermic needles were found
in the boys' locker room two weeks ago.

The district appears to be taking a deliberate approach to the issue,
which is wise. A kneejerk reaction by the district would risk
implementation of a policy that's legally questionable. The risk, too,
is for an overreaction.

The district is going to study alternatives for a year. In the
meantime, it will step up efforts to steer young athletes away from
steroids, which the needles might have been used to inject.

A decision on whether to search students' bodies through drug tests
needs to be approached with the utmost caution. It is a serious
intrusion into one's privacy that is easily and quite often challenged
in court. And that's not to mention how costly an endeavor it can be.

So far, however, the district is acting prudently by doing what any
student does before a big test.

Studying.