RANDOM DRUG TESTS WRONG

I recently did research on drug testing in schools and found stories of
students at various high schools across the country who are regularly
tested for drug use in their schools.

Some students were tested because they participate in extracurricular
activities, others because school administration thought that they might be
under the influence of drugs. In some cases, students were randomly
selected and taken out of class to be tested.

I was alarmed to find out that it's legal to pull random students out of
class to test them for drug use, especially if there is no evidence or
reason to suspect that the student is using drugs.

As a school at Memorial High, I don't think that drug testing students at
school is necessary. Evidence shows that a very low percentage of students
being tested come up positive for drug use of any kind.

The only result that testing seems to have is students feeling violated,
humiliated, and in some cases they lose respect for the administration at
their school. Some students have even taken their school boards to court
for violating their Fourth Amendment right to privacy.

My school has undergone some very drastic changes during the past two
years, and I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have random drug
testing on top of the fines, cameras, and strict administration. Schools
are learning institutions, not prisons.

Heather Holbrook, Eleva