TESTING POLICIES PASS THE TEST

Verbal Spin Fails Student Safety

Monday marked the beginning of the school year for most students in the
Amarillo area, and for more and more public school districts in Texas, the
beginning of random drug tests for students choosing to participate in
extracurricular activities.

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that random drug testing of
students was not a constitutional violation, more school districts have
chosen to implement such procedures.

In the long run, students will benefit.

Opponents of drug testing policies, such as the American Civil Liberties
Union, continue to trot out the defeated reasoning behind their argument.

A perfect example comes from the Houston Chronicle: "Students who are
occasionally experimenting with drugs may choose not to participate in
extracurricular activities that could lead them to a cleaner, healthier
lifestyle," said Will Harrell, executive director of the ACLU of Texas.

"Experimental" and "recreational" have become common terms of those who
oppose strict drug laws, as if drug use is similar to testing a hypothesis
in biology lab or playing pickup basketball.

Opponents of random drug testing in public schools can spin their wordage,
but in more realistic terms, such policies create a safe and effective
learning environment.

As we noted when random drug testing became an issue years ago,
extracurricular activities are a privilege, not a right. Students should be
expected to meet the responsibilities of representing not only their
schools, but being true to themselves.