SCHOOL DRUG TESTS TARGET THE WRONG PEOPLE

The U.S. Supreme Court last week agreed to decide if public schools can
require drug tests for all students involved in extracurricular activities.
The practice began with athletes, but some schools now test cheerleaders,
band members and the like.

The case the court agreed to hear was brought by a student in Tecumseh,
Okla., who was tested because she sang in her high school choir and
participated on an academic quiz team.

The notion of presuming that students, or anyone else for that matter, are
guilty of drug abuse until they prove their innocence is repugnant enough.
But the argument made by the school district's lawyer exposed an additional
irony in the rule.

Only those involved in activities are tested, she said, because they
voluntarily represent the school and thus open themselves to greater
scrutiny than other students. She believed the tests deter someone from
using drugs who wants to participate in, say, a band competition.

Anyone familiar with real-live high school students knows that the
athletes, band and chorus members, etc. are generally the ones you don't
have to worry about. There are exceptions, of course, but the
"straight-arrows" are a different breed from the drug-users.

So, the schools are testing the wrong people. If they're going to pick any
students to test at random, the ones in activities should be the last.