DRUG TESTS WILL SOLVE NOTHING

Personal freedoms are the island upon which the United States is built.
However, this island is made of sand and is easily and quickly eroded. We
see the erosion happening all around us from the decisions of the Supreme
Court on down to the decisions of the local school board.

We all react loudly to the loss of our religious freedoms. The recent court
decisions concerning prayer in schools and the reciting of the Pledge of
Allegiance come to mind. However, some of these losses pass without much
notice or concern by the public.

I am talking about the decision of the Conway school board to allow random
drug tests of students. I have heard parents say "In order to stop the
spread of drugs I will accept a loss of some of my rights." How many rights
can we afford to lose? They complain that the government has no right to
make them wear a seat belt, but it's OK to force a child to give a urine
sample.

At this most awkward stage in a child's life we are going to hand them a
cup and say go fill this. What happens when they stain their clothing? Will
they have to go through the day like this? Will they be allowed to go in a
stall alone to give the sample? How do we know that the sample was not
tampered with before being handed over? For that matter, how will we know
that the samples are not tampered with after being collected?

Do we really think that it is the school's duty to keep our kids off drugs?
It is the job of the parents to lead their children. But in our blameless
society, we will say the schools should have done a better job. I doubt
that the students who are using drugs are in after-school activities, but I
have no doubt that there will be incorrect results on some tests.

What happens to these children falsely accused? They will forever carry the
stigma of having tested positively on a drug test. What happens when they
apply for college? Will they be denied admission for this reason? I'm sure
most colleges and universities don't want students who have a history of
drug abuse.

Where does the money for these tests come from? U.S. News and World Reports
stated in an article in its May 31, 1999, edition that the cost of testing
is typically $70,000 a year for weekly random tests of 75 students.

Most of these tests don't include tests for steroids, LSD or alcohol. It's
reported that in some districts with drug testing, alcohol abuse is
skyrocketing.

Don't think that as an adult you are safe either. According to an article
in the Aug. 12, 2002, U.S. News and World Reports, 61 percent of major U.S.
companies administer pre-employment drug tests and 20 million to 25 million
people are tested annually in the United States. What's driving this rush
to test everyone of us? My belief is good old-fashioned greed. Again,
according to the U.S. News article, the estimated annual revenues of the
drug-testing industry is $737 million.

Since I have no say in whether my child gets tested, I would like to
propose these additional tests (including testing for alcohol):

1. Test all parents. How many times have we seen the public service
announcement where the parent asks his child "Where did you learn to do
this?" and the child replies "Watching you Dad."

2. Test all teachers.

3. Test all administrators.

4. Test all school board members. It appears to me that their judgment is
clouded by something on this issue.