ACLU Urges Educators to Reject Calls for Suspicionless Drug Testing

Controversial Drug Testing Programs under Legal Challenge in Washington School Districts

The American Civil Liberties Union is urging educators at a regional drug testing summit to reject calls from national drug warriors to institute suspicionless drug testing of students. The event is being held today at Highline Community College and is one of several such gatherings conducted by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy in an effort to convince local educators to drug-test students, even those whose behavior gives no reason to suspect they are using drugs.

The ACLU is providing attendees with copies of the booklet Making Sense of Student Drug Testing: Why Educators Are Saying No, which cites research showing such testing is ineffective and provides resources for effective alternatives. In addition, the ACLU is representing a deputy sheriff, a doctor, an assistant football coach and others in lawsuits challenging suspicionless testing in two Washington school districts.

"Random drug testing wrongly treats all students as suspects without reason to believe that individuals have done anything wrong. To address concerns about drug use, educators should look at more effective programs that do not violate rights," said Kathleen Taylor, Executive Director of the ACLU of Washington.

"Suspicionless drug testing is one of the failed policies of the War on Drugs. We need to start a conversation about alternatives," added Taylor.

Studies have found that suspicionless drug testing is not effective in deterring student drug use. The first large-scale national study on student drug testing, which was published by researchers at the University of Michigan in 2003, found no difference in rates of student drug use between schools that have drug testing programs and those that do not. A March 2007 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse and Council of School Health likewise concluded that random drug testing of secondary school students does not deter drug use.

Currently, two ongoing lawsuits are challenging suspicionless drug testing of students for violating student rights under the Washington Constitution. The ACLU is representing two sets of parents, including a deputy sheriff and a medical doctor, in a challenge to Wahkiakum School District's drug testing policy; the state supreme court heard oral arguments in the case in May 2007. The Drug Policy Alliance and the Washington Education Association have submitted an amicus brief in support of the suit. The ACLU also is representing parents, students and an assistant football coach in a lawsuit challenging suspicionless testing by Cle Elum-Roslyn High School.

Published by the ACLU and the Drug Policy Alliance, Making Sense of Student Drug Testing: Why Educators Are Saying No is available online at www.drugtestingfails.org.

Add to Facebook

Add to Digg

Add to Newsvine

Add to Del.icio.us