TOTALITARIAN MEASURES

I am appalled by Superintendent Lusk's decision to test students and
teachers indiscriminately for drug use. He is setting a precedent for a
blatant violation of the Bill of Rights that has already drawn national
attention and is sure to face enormous backlash. Where does he find the
authority to violate the civil rights of so many students that have been
entrusted to him?

His decision presumes the criminal intent of everyone involved. Is this the
sort of climate he wishes to conduct his business in? His blatant disregard
of the Fourth Amendment proves he has reduced the foundations of our country
to a travesty.

Does he recall the time he and I went to school? How times have changed. Now
our children grow up in a situation that forces them into Nazi-style
investigation, blanket searches, into the humiliation of the scrutiny of
their bodily fluids. They grow up to be submissive adults, a flock of sheep
where we want to teach leadership. They accept a normality of totalitarian
measures in a country that prides itself on the personal liberties of its
citizens. One of the most basic rights in this country, the right to
education, has been trampled on by his decision.

Hehas proven that politics and a personal agenda override the essential
freedoms we had come to enjoy. Who gives him the right to harm those who
depend on his care in such a fashion? His zeal and personal interests must
have clouded his understanding what this country is all about. One can only
fathom the ruthlessness behind this.