DRUG TEST DECISION MAY DETER STUDENTS

The Supreme Court's recent opinion enables public school officials to
subject students who participate in after-school activities to random drug
testing, even in the absence of any indication a student is using illegal
substances.

We should encourage students to apply their time and efforts productively
by engaging in enriching after-school programs like music, art and drama.

Students who refrain from ingesting drugs or alcohol unfortunately might
decide not to partake in extracurricular activities in order to avoid
having to undergo humiliating and embarrassing drug tests.

Teachers and principals instinctively know that these active and stable
students are less likely to use alcohol, cocaine or marijuana than students
who do not participate in any extracurricular programs.

Despite the court's limitation of students' privacy rights, our public
school leaders probably will exercise restraint by administering these
tests only when evidence indicates that students, indeed, are using drugs
or alcohol.

Steven Kaplan

West Bloomfield Township