DRUG TESTING ATHLETES IN GEORGETOWN IS WRONG

Georgetown's decision to give random drug tests to athletes - and only
athletes - is a misguided policy that tramples on the students' right to
privacy.

According to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, it is legal to test athletes
and other students in extra-curricular activities because they are
associating voluntarily. But that doesn't make it right. Forcing teens
to subject themselves to a drug test in order to play a sport sends a
powerful message that they are suspected of using illegal drugs. It
also communicates to them that they don't have any say in the matter,
no right to refuse because they are in athletics. A better policy
would be to subject students to tests only if they are suspected of
drug abuse or exhibit the symptoms associated with it. That would be a
fair to everyone and not single out those who are representing
Georgetown High School in sports for the ignominy of a random drug
test. Most student athletes and their parents aren't likely to object
to this privacy violation because they enjoy sports and don't want to
bring additional suspicion on themselves. Protest too much, and the
school powers could quickly assume you have something to hide.

Random drug testing is an insidious undermining of the right to privacy and
the right to be considered innocent absent any evidence to the
contrary. But because these students voluntarily play a sport they get
the humiliation of a random drug test whether they like it or not.

Georgetown may expand the random testing to all students in any
extra-curricular activity, from the school plays to the Spanish Club.
That will increase the number of students being tested and add to the
humiliation of the student body. Drug use is a serious matter for high
schools and Georgetown is right to offer help to students who need it
to overcome a problem. The Georgetown trustees revised their original
policy to offer counseling at the school system's expense, which was a
good change. Still, athletes are no more likely to abuse drugs than
the general student body. In fact, they may be less likely to be drug
users because they are involved in strenuous physical activity that
requires a lot of their time. But they are an easy target for a policy
that looks like it is attacking drug abuse, though it ignores much of
the student body, including those most likely to be abusing drugs and
in need of help. The student athletes are helpless victims because the
courts have upheld their second-class status and schools can legally
give them drug tests, while those not playing sports maintain their
right to privacy and the presumption of innocence. Randomly testing
athletes for drugs is blatantly unfair and highly unlikely to make a
difference in any high school's drug culture. But it makes the school
board look like it is getting tough on drugs, and that seems to be the
main point in singling out athletes for privacy invasion and the
humiliation of being suspected of drug abuse. It's a bad policy, but
unfortunately one that is expanding in Central Texas.