KANSAS SCHOOL DISTRICT GOES TOO FAR

Maybe You Read About The Kansas School District That Has Taken Drug
Testing To A New Level.

The district, in El Dorado, Kan., near Wichita, has instituted random
drug testing for all middle- and high-school students who participate
in or even attend any extracurricular activity -- not just sports and
clubs, but even school plays, field trips and driver's ed.

Anyone who doesn't agree to the testing is prohibited from taking
part in or attending sports events, dances, plays -- in fact, they
can't even park their car on school grounds.

IS THIS FAIR?

Regardless of whether such testing is constitutional, I have a
serious problem with this policy.

Just what is so special about extracurricular activities that demands
its participants or attendees be drug-tested, while the rest of the
student body is exempt?

Do students who take part in extra activities abuse drugs more than
students who don't? I don't think so.

When I was in school, the "burnouts," aka drug users, hardly ever
took part in ANY extra activities. Most of their free time was spent
getting trashed.

It seems to me that if anyone should be tested, it would be the
students who take part in nothing beyond what they have to.

Maybe the district believes that by limiting the testing to those who
take part in extra activities, the rate of student drug use will
appear to be less than it really is.

Either all students should be subjected to random testing, or none of
them. It's not fair to single out certain groups.

And then there's the whole issue of whether random testing should be
conducted, or only when a student is suspected of drug use. But
that's a topic for another day.