This controversial issue was addressed In a recent decision by the United States Supreme Court in the Board of Education of Pottawatomie v. Earls. The question before the Supreme Court was to determine whether the Fourth Amendment prevented public schools from requiring students who participate in non-athletic competitions to agree to random urine testing for illegal drug use. The Supreme Court determined that the Oklahoma School District Drug Testing Policy "is a reasonable means of furthering the School District's important interest in preventing and deterr

Drug testing programs are not the only proven way to prevent or stop drug use. There are alternative programs that schools can use. Many believe that extracurricular activities are actually the best deterrent to drug use that schools can use.

Instead of spending valuable resources on a universal drug testing plan that is not targeted to students who need the most help, policies should be developed to work with them as individuals. For example, the Shasta Union School District in Northern California started a program that offers alternatives like going to a "continuation school" or agreeing to a five-week drug treatment program with their parents.

„h In 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, student athletes and students participating in extracurricular activities are slightly more likely to use alcohol in weekend party situations (which cannot be detected in urine tests administered after the person is sober), but are much less likely than other students to be involved in the drugs that can be detected in urine tests (marijuana, cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, for examples).

Opponents believe that mandatory drug testing is intrusive, discriminatory, violates the right to privacy, and assumes a lack of trust between school staff and students. They also question whether drug testing is reliable because most school drug testing programs use a low-cost urine test. These tests are subject to a variety of errors and are not usually sensitive enough to get the right results. Even with careful testing, false negative and false positive results are likely to happen. Taking diuretics and drinking lots of water can cause false negative results. False positive results can happen if a person has recently taken over-the-counter or prescribed medicines. Since schools that have drug testing usually expel students who "fail" the test, a false positive reading could result in lawsuits against the school. Some positive results will also be disputed by parents and students, which may result in expensive legal disputes.5

Dr. Elliot Ingersoll, a licensed clinical counselor and psychologist, says, "I can state with certainty that it is extracurricular activities that actually help keep students away from illicit drugs; students involved in these activities are less likely to be involved in illicit drug use. Mandatory drug testing is not going to reinforce tr

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