Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Drug Testing In Public Schools

Mandatory drug testing in public schools is a relatively recent practice that stems from rising concerns over the rate of drug addiction among young people. It involves analyzing student urine samples for the presence of various illegal substances, such as amphetamines and marijuana. Mandatory drug testing programs include both "suspicionless" random testing and "for cause" testing, and can be considered an outgrowth of the "drug war" currently taking place in the United States. Mandatory drug testing in schools is less common than comparable testing in the workplace.
Two United States Supreme Court rulings since 1995 have come down on the side of schools wishing to institute mandatory drug testing on students who participate in extracurricular activities (including, but not limited to, athletic activities). The Supreme Court has clearly stated that such testing does not violate the United States Constitution, holding that the small encroachment on the privacy rights of minors is warranted in order to protect students and to deter drug use. In recent years, some school districts across the country have begun experimenting with drug testing, making a clean test a precondition of eligibility for participation in a wide range of after-school programs. Many districts, however, were met with opposition from students, parents, civil rights activists and other groups.
Understanding the Discussion
Drug War: Also known as the "War against Drugs" or the "War on Drugs," this phrase refers to the collective array of efforts made by United States federal government, as well as state and local governments, whose stated goal is to completely eradicate illicit drug use in the United States. In addition to anti-drug campaigns, the drug war include...

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...d Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. "Not only are these policies a violation of students' right to privacy, numerous studies have shown they do not reduce student drug use," he continued.

"We're surprised and disappointed that Solanco School District is not only ignoring the law, but also the example of other school districts which have rejected the same policy because they understand that spying on students without suspicion is against the Constitution," said the McDougalls. "These are young people who have done nothing wrong, not prisoners on parole. We've tried repeatedly to persuade the district to abide by the state Supreme Court's ruling, but it has refused. That's unfortunate, because the district's responsibility is to teach students to respect and understand the law, not sidestep it."

The school district has yet to comment.