Drug Testing In Schools Essay

In June of 2002, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled drug testing in public schools constitutional in the case of Pottawatomie County v. Earls. This ruling widened the allowance of drug testing in public schools to every student who participates in competitive clubs, sports or extracurricular activities, not just athletics (“Frequently Asked Questions”). The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) rules state that “A student shall not at any time, regardless of the quantity: use or consume, have in possession a beverage containing alcohol; use or consume, have in possession tobacco; or, use or consume, have in possession, buy, sell or give away any other controlled substance or drug paraphernalia” (MSHSL). The policy explains that every student

If some students already use drugs, they may not be willing to give them up to participate in the activity, which could lead to activity and athletic budget cuts and an unhappy student body. Many students could be barred from participating, even a star athlete who had a scholarship to play in college, but it was the athlete’s bad choices which should have serious consequences. In turn, this argument may be supported by parents or other community members, so a drug policy may not be supported and fail to be passed by a school board. Another argument can be made that it is a violation of rights to be drug tested in able to join a sport or club. But, in reality it is a student’s right to join the sport or not, and schools are given the power by the U.S. government to implement any needed rules to keep their school safe. For example, a student gives up his freedom of speech while attending public school because he can be severely punished if he says something dangerous. In the end, a major drawback could be the effectiveness of enforcing a drug testing policy in schools. While only 14% of schools in the United States drug test their students, there has not been any major evidence in studies about the effectiveness of the policy. For some schools in Superior, Wisconsin, who have been drug testing their students since 2006, it has led to positive change (Editorial Board Star