In a 5-4 ruling, the justices decided that eliminating drugs from school campuses outweighs students' right to privacy.

"We find that testing students who participate in extracurricular activities is a reasonably effective means of addressing the school district's legitimate concerns in preventing, deterring, and detecting drug use," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court.

The ruling means that school officials can test students who participate in competitive after-school activities or teams, even if there is no reason to suspect wrongdoing. Previously, drug tests were only allowed for student athletes.

The case was brought by Lindsay Earls, a former Oklahoma high-school honors student who competed on an academic quiz team and sang in the choir and was subjected to drug testing. Although Earls tested negative, she sued over what she described as a humiliating and accusatory policy.

"I find it very disappointing that the court would find it reasonable to drug-test students when all the experts, from pediatricians to teachers, say that drug testing is counterproductive," said Graham Boyd, director of drug-policy litigation at the American Civil Liberties Union and Earls' lawyer. "The best way to prevent drug use is to involve them in extracurricular activities."

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