DRUG TESTS FOR ALL?

A West Texas school district is crossing the line.

This Editorial Board has never been long on support of student rights. While
children live with their parents, their rights -- within reason -- are
restricted.

But the good folk in Lockney, near Lubbock, go too far. Properly concerned
about drug use, they've decided to drug-test all students from the sixth
through the 12th grades and all teachers in the Lockney school district.

If you say "no" to the test, you are considered to have failed it. Fail it
once (or refuse it), and you draw a 21-day suspension from extracurricular
activities, three days of in-school suspension and three sessions of drug
counseling. A teacher testing positive is gone.

Although one has to admire the intent, shouldn't there be at least a hint of
suspicious behavior before subjecting all schoolchildren to a drug test?

Random testing under certain circumstances may be necessary, but most teens
are just teens. Some of them go terribly astray. Find those who need help
and give it to them. But show a little trust and respect for the others.

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