LOCAL CONTROL PASSES THE TEST

Districts Should Determine Policy

The decision Aug. 12 by the Guymon, Okla., Board of Trustees to rescind the
school district's random drug testing policy of students participating in
extracurricular activities is not a condemnation of school drug testing,
but rather an example of local school districts determining what is best
for their students.

This form of local control is what is at the heart of the random drug
testing debate.

On June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of school districts to
randomly test students participating in extracurricular activities. It
marked the second validation of the policy since 1995.

Individual school districts should have the authority to decide for
themselves whether a random drug test fits their needs for student safety
and welfare. Some districts might implement the policy, while others may
not see a need for it. Rather than creating some misperceived law
enforcement arm of jack-booted drug agents, this is the authority the
highest court in the land granted to school districts.

Those who educate children on a daily basis, and the individuals
responsible for school district policy who are accountable to the public,
are best able to determine the need for a random drug testing policy.

School officials in Guymon exercised their constitutional rights, and we're
glad they had the authority to do so.