Drug testing students: There's a better way

Here it is. My break into the big time: my first column. As a high school student, I feel that I have a unique perspective to offer the community, and here's my beef for the week: random drug testing for students.

Although this issue has fallen out of the limelight recently, it is a significant one that will likely affect schools in our community in the near future, maybe even next fall. It has taken many Supreme Court cases to get to this frightening point, so here is a little background information:

-- In 1985, in the case of New Jersey v. TLO, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey, stating that probable cause is not required when students are searched by school officials.

-- In 1995, in the case of the Vernonia School District v. Acton, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Vernonia to allow random drug testing for student athletes, stating athletes already have a lower expectation of privacy because they shower together.

-- In 1998, the Pottawatomie County School District in Tecumseh, Okla., instituted random drug tests for all students involved in extracurricular activities. A student, Lindsay Earls, protested the policy.

-- In June 2002, in the case of Pottawatomie County v. Lindsay Earls, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Pottawatomie County School District and declared random drug testing for all middle and high school students involved in extracurricular activities constitutional. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stated that the intrusive nature of the tests is "not significant."

These decisions and their absurd justifications raise many questions in my mind.

For instance, when did students become so lowly that the Constitution does not apply to them? The Fourth Amendment should be protecting all citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures, not just those over a certain age. And what about one of the basic principles our country was founded on? Remember that one -- innocent until proven guilty? Random drug testing presumes that all students are drug-addicted criminals, when in actuality drug users make up the minority.

Finally, what are drug-addicts doing participating in extracurricular activities anyway? Shouldn't they be at home getting stoned rather than at tennis practice?

Unfortunately, this statement brings up another important question: Where do we draw the line? It's now only a matter of time before random drug testing is allowed for all students, not just those involved in school activities. And now that it's legal for middle and high school students, will school districts push to be able to test elementary school students too?

Maybe the real solution to the problem of student drug use shouldn't depend on random drug testing. There has to be a better way. The government needs to crack down on drug dealers and smugglers.

Parents need to discuss drug use with their children and be there for them so they don't have to turn to drugs. And schools and communities need to offer more activities for kids to participate in, especially in a retirement community such as Carson City. The high school is just too large for all students to get a chance to participate in sports, and let's face it, the only clean options for weekend fun are the movie theater and the bowling alley. Just the simple creation of additional recreational sports leagues, a mall, or a concert venue may keep some kids from turning to drugs.

We as a community, state and nation need to make an effort and take a proactive role in minimizing student drug use. I know that I, for one, do not want to see our school district head down the reactive path of random drug testing.

Jessica Smallman is a senior at Carson High School. She's writing a regular column for the Nevada Appeal as her senior project.