Pubdate: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 Source: Evansville Courier & Press (IN) Copyright: 2002 The Evansville Courier Contact: http://www.courierpress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/138 Authors: Tim Garner, Tom Tindle, Mandy Williams, Ken Meyer, and Phillippe Andrew Seib Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) SUNDAY SOAPBOX: DRUG TESTING CAN BE DETERRENT TO USE, A HELP TO QUIT To the editor: Random drug testing in schools and universities is not only a good thing but just makes sense. Of course, those who are using drugs are against this policy, but it doesn't make sense that many of those who are not drug users are against it as well. If these people are drug- free, then they have nothing to worry about and thus should be proud to show that they are clean of any drugs. Sure, some say that it is a waste of time or that it is against his rights as a citizen, but the whole idea behind randomly testing students and athletes is to help get those who use drugs a reason to stop and those who may have tried using drugs a reason to never start. Those who argue that drug testing should be banished give me the opinion that they believe that drugs are great and good for you. We know that is completely false. If anything, random drug testing is necessary because it helps athletes as well as students to quit using because of the effects that can result to their ability to perform. I participated in high school and collegiate sports, and I was pleased that random drug testing was enforced, because it helped me make the right choice to stay clean. My ability came out more because of it. Drug testing is a great way to help people say "no" to substances that will only hurt them as time passes. Tim Garner Evansville ***************************************************************** APPROACH IS WHAT'S ABSURD To the editor: The Indiana Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for mandatory drug testing of Indiana students. While keeping children off drugs is a worthy goal, this approach, like the War on Drugs in general, is just plain absurd. If the government cannot even keep drugs out of prisons, how is it going to make a difference in schools? How big is the problem when schools cannot even identify drug users without looking at their urine? Is it worth discouraging students who need the positive influence of extracurricular activities the most from participating for fear of the test? Is it worth ruining lives with false positives? Do we really believe that students cannot circumvent a drug test just as easily as adults do everyday? The government apparently thinks it is its job, not the parents,' to raise children. Yet all it is really doing is creating a society of suspects who will not respect the laws or the authority figures who strip them of their privacy, dignity and self-respect with these witch hunts. The U.S. Congress, which is so supportive of such measures, struck down mandatory tests for itself, saying they was "insulting and undignified." So why should we subject our children to it? It would be nice if schools would teach students about the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees the right to be free from unreasonable, warrantless searches, instead of subjecting them to unreasonable, warrantless searches. Tom Tindle Libertarian Party of Vanderburgh County Evansville ***************************************************************** TEST ALL STUDENTS FOR DRUGS To the editor: I do not believe that it is a violation of the constitutional rights of students to be give random drug tests in school. Not only should athletes be given drug tests, but this policy should be applied to all students. I graduated from high school a couple of years ago, and while I was in high school, I was an athlete, a member of many clubs and an honor student. I know that there were student-athletes who used drugs but were not always caught. Those students had the attitude that the drugs were OK, and that they would continue to use them until they were caught. It was a rule of the school and of all sports teams at the school that drugs were not allowed on school grounds and drug use by students would not be tolerated. Aren't student-athletes supposed to be role models and make their school look good? I wanted not only my school and community to be proud of me, but also to make my school look good. I had nothing to hide in high school and would have been willing to take any drug test to prove it. Drug tests are administered to find individuals who need help and to provide them with help if there is a drug problem. Athletes are not allowed to use drugs, so if there is a problem, then the privilege of participating in athletics should be taken away from them because they do not deserve that privilege. Most of the people who feel violated by drug testing are ashamed because they would fail the drug test. Their guilt and shame are due to their participation in illegal activities, and those illegal activities must be stopped. Students who need help to eliminate their drug problems should be helped. Random drug testing is a step in the right direction. Mandy Williams Evansville ***************************************************************** RIGHT TO TEST ISN'T ENOUGH To the editor: I remember the story of a famous robber who, when asked why he robbed banks replied, "That's where the money is." When talking about drug testing for young people, the task is quickly assigned to the schools. That's where the children are. In an effort to keep some sense of civil-rights protection for the general student body, we find those involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, music or theater. Unlike attendance at school, these are activities that students choose, and since they are not required to take part in them, we say society has a right to demand drug tests of them. While we will not demand a drug test for those who hang out on street corners, drive up and down the streets or sit in front of television sets and computers in homes with no parents, we will require it of students who fill their after-school hours on athletic fields and in gyms, theaters and music rooms of schools. Are we trying to fix a school problem, or a problem in the community? Are we asking schools to test students because it is a school problem, or because that's where the students are? I suggest that if we test students for drug use, we should relate it to behavior at school. A drug test could be a condition to returning to school after a behavior-related suspension or expulsion. I would suggest that schools have enough to do in teaching reading, writing and math. If drugs are a problem in schools, then test those who exhibit their abuse by inappropriate behavior. But let's not randomly find groups of busy, talented, involved students and test them merely because we have a right to do so. Ken Meyer New Harmony, Ind. ***************************************************************** STUDENTS HAVE NO RIGHTS To the editor: When you ask if drug testing violates the students' constitutional rights, I have to ask, what rights? As was determined in the Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier case in 1988, students are actually deprived of all their constitutional rights once upon school property. However, as Chief Justice John Marshall (1755-1835) once said, "We must never forget that it is the Constitution we are expounding ... intended to endure for ages to come and, consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs." In other words, the adoption and stripping of constitutional rights of students in a public school is and should be endured. Drug testing on athletes and on drivers is only another step of well-intended precautionary actions for the safety of students. The fact that rights have been stripped is out of the matter, for if all rights were pertained to be held in schools, students of legal age could have the right to bear arms in a school facility. Phillippe Andrew Seib Student, Reitz High School Evansville - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom