Pubdate: Wed, 20 Dec 2000
Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)
Copyright: 2000 Amarillo Globe-News
Contact:  P.O. Box 2091, Amarillo, TX 79166
Fax: (806) 373-0810
Website: http://amarillonet.com/
Forum: http://208.138.68.214:90/eshare/server?action=4
Author: Linda Kane
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/lockney.htm (The Lockney Policy)

LOCKNEY ISD DRUG-TEST SUIT GOES TO JUDGE

LUBBOCK - Both sides of a lawsuit involving drug tests of students in 
Lockney have asked U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings of Lubbock to rule on 
the case without a jury.

Larry Tannahill, in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union, 
sued the Lockney Independent School District for implementing a mandatory 
drug-testing policy in February for students in grades 7-12.

Tannahill's son, now a seventh-grader, is the only student who was not 
allowed by his parents to be tested.

In documents filed Friday and made available to the public Monday, the 
school district claims that a prevalent drug problem in Lockney prompted 
the policy.

In a sworn statement, school district Superintendent Raymond Lusk said: 
"There were enough rumors, enough talk and enough input and even enough 
kids being detained by police and these kind of things that it was a 
concern to us, that we felt fairly certain that there was a serious drug 
problem."

The school district claims that the policy acts as a deterrent to drug use, 
helps ensure the health and safety of the students, and helps promote 
education.

Tannahill and the ACLU disagree, however. Tannahill claims that the 
drug-testing policy violates the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans 
against unreasonable searches and seizures.

It is indicated in the court documents that Lockney has a lower rate of 
drug use than most places in Texas or the nation.

"Before depriving an entire group of the presumption of innocence, some 
evidence should at least point to a drug problem within the group," court 
documents filed by the plaintiffs said.
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