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July 2, 2002
Supreme Court rules for random drug tests
According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court ruled that students who participate in any after school activities may be subjected to random drug tests.
The Supreme Court decision was made on June 27 in a 5-4 decision. The tests had previously only been allowed for student athletes. The court ruled against a former Oklahoma high school honor student who was in the choir and on the academic quiz team and felt “humiliated" after being subjected to the drug test.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the Court's majority opinion: "We find that testing students who participate in extracurricular activities is a reasonably effective means of addressing the school district's legitimate concerns in preventing, deterring and detecting drug use."
Some Court officials have hinted that they are interested in possibly pursuing the issue, allowing random drug tests for all middle school students as well.
Senior Shira Levy thinks that the random drug testing is not in violation of student’s rights. “If people have nothing to hide, they shouldn’t really have a problem with it," she said. “It’s not like we have the right to do drugs."
Senior Alieu Terry agrees that sports participants should be tested but not other students. “If you’re a good athlete then you don’t use drugs because you know you can’t do your best if you do [drugs]," he said.
The Supreme Court decision was made on June 27 in a 5-4 decision. The tests had previously only been allowed for student athletes. The court ruled against a former Oklahoma high school honor student who was in the choir and on the academic quiz team and felt “humiliated" after being subjected to the drug test.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the Court's majority opinion: "We find that testing students who participate in extracurricular activities is a reasonably effective means of addressing the school district's legitimate concerns in preventing, deterring and detecting drug use."
Some Court officials have hinted that they are interested in possibly pursuing the issue, allowing random drug tests for all middle school students as well.
Senior Shira Levy thinks that the random drug testing is not in violation of student’s rights. “If people have nothing to hide, they shouldn’t really have a problem with it," she said. “It’s not like we have the right to do drugs."
Senior Alieu Terry agrees that sports participants should be tested but not other students. “If you’re a good athlete then you don’t use drugs because you know you can’t do your best if you do [drugs]," he said.
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the problem is, these tests will not be a good method of deterring drug use at the school, nor will the results from the tests be used to help teen drug users kick the habit. Instead, the results will be used to harm students; leaving a blemish on their records (a just one, respectfully) with no silver lining (no treatment, just punishment).
If the tests were just a friendly check up from the school administration to you the student, then counselors would be standing by to help kids get treatment, not bash them over the head with legalities.
Kids shouldn't be on drugs. Schools should do something to get/keep them off. Schools should not squeal on their students without offering some sort of support.
Simplify SIT in final p
Good story Nora. Call MCPS and get comment.
Now I do also want to say that this is a total and complete invasion of privacy, but more important is that this is entirely the wrong way to go about fixing the drug problem in schools. Make treatment more available with no repercussions if a student comes looking to change. There is no current place for a student to reach out for help. Provide one, and if we don't help ourselves, then Clarence Thomas can give us drug tests.
If we aren't carefull this could be step one to making random drug test mandatory for all students.
i think everyone needs to quit their beefin' and realize that they're just going to have to live with it for four years.
Wouldn't it be nice to dial 911 and get expert help for an addiction, a counselor, medical help. Oh, I forgot, we're more interested in bringing them into the criminal justice system and locking them up.
Schools 'squeling' on their students? These students are drug users. Something SHOULD be done about them, done to them. They screwed up, they endager the people around them, so there should DEFINITELY be a punishment involved. The fact that you'd just rehab a drug user without any punishment is much too lenient, even for the US legal system, which, BTW, I have no confidence in, because they are too often locking up the good people and letting the real evil go loose. But, I digress.
I don't have any problem at all with random drug tests. They can come to my house and do it on me if they want. Because they aren't going to find anything. Ever. I don't find it humiliating, disrespectful, or demeaning, because these tests are, by definition, RANDOM. There is no suspicion involved.
The only people who should be afraid of these tests are the people who have something to hide.
'Leaving the kids alone' is exactly what made Columbine possible. Exactly what made the kid in Reader's Digest build a nuclear reactor in his backyard. Exactly what CREATES the trash this civilization has to deal with on a daily basis. If kids were whipped into shape from the beginning, if they were disciplined correctly and taught strictly from the very beginning what was RIGHT and what was horribly, terribly WRONG, we may not have school shootings, random stabbings, and idiotic fights.
And yes, we're interested in bringing them into the criminal justice system, because drug addicts are criminals. We don't need such people walking free, they need to be dealt with swiftly.
If colleges start running drug tests, I'll be one of the first in line.
If you were more proficient at reading, you'd realize I'm not talking about the Columbine shooters taking drugs.
What I AM talking about is the entire 'hands-off' independence attitude everybody has about these kinds of situations. Columbine was made possible by the sheer apathy of the people around them - parents, teachers, and students that just didn't pay enough attention and let kids 'do what they want.' I didn't say they took drugs, I said that people didn't deal with them fast enough.
What kids do, by definition, is not only their business. You are all minors, you have relatively little privacy. You are enrolled in a school system that is responsible for the health, education, and saftey of countless thousands of people - and they have the right (both legally and morally, in my opinion) to do what is necessary to maintain a safe environment.
One of the main reasons we have troubled kids is because of the attitude of 'what the kids do is their business.' If you leave these people alone, they only get worse. They cave into peer pressure, they start losing interest in school, they do drugs, and perhaps someday, they'll pick up a gun and do something with it. These kids are weak-minded. They'll always take the easy way out, they'll always act on impulse.
If they can't control themselves, it's up the parents, teachers, and police to control them.
I'd say that your argument holds up only if there is evidence that participants of afterschool activities use drugs at a higher rate than the general student population. If they do, then testing them is justified. If they don't, then either test the entire school or test nobody. (The exception I'm willing to buy is testing atheletes to prevent the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs.)
Take care.
I just want to say that if a student uses drugs, it was there choice to start. But I also think that the students won't stop, or even start using drugs, unless they have no other choice. I think that students should be tested. ( if they don't have anything to hide, then why not take a test. Why are you people arguing so much)
*drug tests are a violation of the student rights
*students who use drugs enough to hurt "society" usually dont stay in the pulic school system very long
*it isnt the schools buisness to be invading personal lives of their students.
*school is for education, not Drug Enforcement
*people need to find out who they really are on their own, and dont need other people to find out for them.