<marquee behavior=alternate><font size=5><font color=dark pink>Drug Testing in Schools</marquee></font size=5></font color=dark pink>
Many people strongly disagreed with this ruling. Some argue that the policy violates student’s privacy. Opponents also argued that this policy violates the fourth and fourteenth amendments. The fourth amendment protects the student’s right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the fourteenth amendment states that the student will be innocent until proven guilty. While that has become a major point of argument there is another. Not all schools implement the tests in the same way. This is a problem because it can give one school an unfair advantage over another. A recent study shows that between 1998-2001, only 18% of schools have implemented the drug testing. Of that 18%, less than 5% of the schools were actually testing athletes and only 2% of those same schools tested students in extra curricular activities.
On the other hand, some students, teachers, administrators, and parents thought that drug testing was a good idea. They argued that testing would deter students from using drugs and ensure that student athletes would compete on a level playing field. Some also argue that extracurricular activities are a privilege not a right, and that schools have the authority to administer drug tests if they want to. An additional argument was that as U.S. citizens under 18, students don’t have any rights that protect them from searches and seizures or that protect your privacy. They also argued about how detrimental drug use, especially steroid use, is for the students. They felt that drug testing could deter drug use and therefore would ensure the well-being and safety of the students.
It is evident that people hold a wide range of opinions about drug testing in our schools’ extracurricular activities. While both groups have legitimate arguments, as a group, we believe that testing is a necessity. We feel that drug testing provides a level playing field for all students. Those students who play on the playing field, or those students who participate in other extra curricular activities. We also feel that it is a great tool in detouring drug use among students. While there are some parts of the judgment that must be fixed, the overall idea of drug testing students is a must do in schools today.
Graphics provided by personal Clip Art Program
Please wait...