DRUG TEST RULING GOES TOO FAR

The U.S. Supreme Court has succumbed to the siren song of random drug
testing for many public school students, sacrificing privacy considerations
to the war on drugs.

That's too bad and a little surprising from certain justices who often
decry the evils of big government.

School officials here and across the country would do well to continue
looking askance at such random testing programs, even though a slim
majority on the high court says it is constitutionally permissible.

The illegal abuse of alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs by students
remains a serious problem and can lead to tragedy. Both educators and
parents need to stress that to young people.

The anti-drug message should be reinforced by strict punishment for those
who have abused drugs or encouraged others to do so. Disqualification for
extracurricular activities often makes sense.

Random testing, however, violates the privacy of many students without a
reasonable justification. Such testing creates an atmosphere of distrust,
suspicion and generally low expectations for young people.

Random tests can also undermine lessons taught in government and American
history classes about basic constitutional rights, notably the Fourth
Amendment guarantees against "unreasonable searches and seizures."

Educators in the Kansas City area have cited these concerns in explaining
their lack of interest in random drug testing.

Young people, of course, do not enjoy all of the privileges and protections
accorded adults. But random drug tests exceed what's necessary to preserve
an orderly school environment.

Indeed, the whole point of random testing is to identify drug use that is
not apparent.

The latest court decision only concerns students in extracurricular
activities. Yet, if the principle is valid, why stop there? Does this lead
to schoolwide drug tests? Young people in extracurricular activities often
are among the more responsible students who are less likely to have drug
problems.

School officials, parents and law enforcement authorities should continue
their efforts to help young people avoid or stop drug use. But there are
far better alternatives that don't ride roughshod over constitutional
principles.