Schools Reluctant to Conduct Random Drug Tests July 1, 2002
News Summary
Although the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that public schools can conduct random drug tests on students participating in extracurricular activities, many schools remain apprehensive about drug testing because of privacy and cost concerns, the Washington Post reported June 28.Schools in the Washington, D.C., area have not implemented random drug testing, even for student athletes. "If I'm in a school as a principal where we have a drug problem, and we're fighting the drug problem, and we're fighting to keep the person who's possessing drugs from entering school grounds, yes, I would do it," said Paul L. Vance, superintendent of D.C. public schools. "But I would not do it just because I had the right to do it. There would have to be cause for suspicion."
For Ned Sparks, executive director of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association, the decision comes down to cost. In 1995, the association determined that it would cost $8 million annually to test the 75,000 athletes at the district's 171 high schools. "We looked at it, investigated it, studied it, but all the pitfalls made it something that wasn't worth doing," Sparks said.
Schools that decide to implement a drug-testing policy also are likely to hear protests from parents and students. "It seems like a real step toward big-brotherism with my children, and that's something I'm not at all comfortable with," said Heather Tepe, a Columbia, Md., parent with three children in public school. "Children who are busy with activities and involved in the community are less likely to be using drugs. You don't have many stoners who are joining the lacrosse or academic teams."
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