Pubdate: Fri, 04 Oct 2002
Source: Colorado Springs Independent Newsweekly (CO)
Copyright: 2002 Colorado Springs Independent
Contact:  http://www.csindy.com/csindy/current/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536
Author: Janelle Brown
Note: This article first appeared on salon.com

STUDENT SURVIVAL: THE NEW BATTLEFIELD

When The Drug War Invades The Chess Club

Earlier this summer, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in the case of the Board 
of Education vs. Earls that it is "reasonable" under the Fourth Amendment 
to randomly administer drug tests to all high-school students who 
participate in extracurricular activities. In other words, it is now 
perfectly legal for a school to force a cheerleader or the president of the 
chess club to pee in a cup -- anytime -- to keep their membership in 
after-school programs. The decision didn't come as a surprise. During oral 
arguments on the case in March, several Supreme Court justices expressed 
strong support for student drug testing. At one point, Justice Antonin 
Scalia asked Graham Boyd, the ACLU lawyer who argued the case on behalf of 
defendant Lindsay Earls: "So long as you have a bunch of druggies who are 
orderly in class, the school can take no action. That's what you want us to 
rule?"

Even though they had anticipated defeat, opponents of the war on drugs -- 
and its new battlefield in the classroom -- found it deeply disappointing. 
These critics argue that by targeting students -- particularly those who 
participate in extracurricular activities, be they athletes, prom queens or 
Future Farmers of America -- participating schools unfairly single out 
students who are often the least likely to be doing drugs in the first 
place, and drive students at risk for drug use away from the activities 
that might take the testing of high-school students is just taking one more 
step down the road of having people say we've had enough.

This article first appeared on salon.com
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MAP posted-by: Beth