DRUG TESTING HAS LITTLE VALUE

Conventional wisdom has it that governing bodies do not implement optional
policies of questionable value in the absence of a strong consensus that
such should be done. Conventional wisdom not withstanding, the Conway
school board has, by a closely split vote, implemented suspicionless,
random drug testing of students in extracurricular activities.

Such testing was made technically legal by a strongly dissented 5-4 U.S.
Supreme Court decision in an Oklahoma case. Even those worthies in the
majority, whom the devil would have happily impaneled to hear the matter of
Jabez Stone, except that they weren't dead yet, concede that suspicionless,
random drug testing would be unconstitutional if applied to students generally.

The best succinct comment on the Conway matter appeared in "The Week That
Was" column of the Aug. 30 Arkansas Times:

"It was a bad week for ... Conway. The School Board, on a 4-3 vote decided
to drug test students in extracurricular activities. There's no proof that
such an invasive policy discourages drug use, but it does make
authoritarian drug hysterics feel better."