In a landmark ruling, the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Vernonia School District v. Acton that schools could randomly test student athletes for drug use, after a student, James Acton, was banned from trialling for his school football team without consenting to a test[1]. The legal battle for the school’s right to drug-test has gained and lost ground for many years in the USA; in 1998 the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Todd v. Rush County Schools  upheld an Indiana school board program that banned students from participation in extracurricular activities without first passing a random drugs test. This was however later struck down as being against state constitutional law.[2] And in 2001 the Tenth Circuit in Willis v. Anderson Community School Corporation ruled that tests imposed unreasonable searches upon students in violation of Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.[3]



A study conducted in the United Kingdom in 2004 by the Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work found that attempts by employers to force employees to take drug tests could potentially be challenged as a violation of privacy under the UK Human Rights Act and Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.[4]



focus on society’s desire to combat what it perceives as a growing drug abuse problem, pitted against children and families’ right to privacy. Tests can be conducted on urine, hair, breath or occasionally blood.



[1] Vernonia Sch. Dist. 47J v. Acton (94-590), 515 U.S. 646, 26 June 1995, Cornell University Law School, http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/94-590.ZO.html



[2] Wilgoren, Jodi, ‘Court Rulings Signal a Shift on Random Drug Tests in Schools’, The New York Times, 25 March 2001, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/25/us/court-rulings-signal-a-shift-on-random-drug-tests-in-schools.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm



[3] Phelps, Shirelle, and Cengage, Gale, ‘Drug Testing’, Encyclopedia of Everyday Law, 2006, http://www.enotes.com/education-reference/drug-testing





[4] Evans, Ruth et al., ‘Drug testing in the workplace’, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2004, http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/185935212x.pdf 





how do you feel about the idea of drug testing in schools?

Personally, I don't want to have the first thing I do when I get off the school bus is take a leak in front of everyone (I think thats agreeable and understandable), so I'm glad no ones tried to impose that. As far as extracurrcular (Sports mostly), I could understand the push for random drug tests (We don't want high school football games turning into 'roid rage fests), but I understand that, like before, I don't want to be unzipping and doing my business in front of everyone (or just the staff). I think a drug test should only be mandatory if there is good evidence pointing to steriod usage, but I wouldn't care if optional tests were issed, as long as declining is not grounds to consider you suspicious.

If you dont do drugs then you dont have anything to worry about.
bigger0gamer : Public nudity is illegal and im assuming you arent obligated to do it in front of someone.

Illigal drugs in schools are becoming problems, and I support drug testing in schools fully.Its best that we are able to keep students like me in a safe place.

earthwarrior : Yes, but no. It may be illegal, but if taken to a private location, and done in a fashion were you see enough to know whoos it is while not seeing the deed (back to the staff), I don't see why not (especially if said location has had problem with using others or old urine).

I don't really support random drug testing in schools especially when it is just out of the blue. That can be rather unnecessary and a waste of time. However, if there is suspicious drug activity, that is a different case and should be used if possible.