Schools, Parents Need To Take Control Pro Drug Testing Playing Ball Is Not A Civil Right

Tsk, tsk. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that when a drug-abuse epidemic invades a public school, it’s OK for the school to require that all student athletes undergo urinalysis.

This is frightful news for those who think lawyers and civil rights litigation could solve what ails the upbringing of America’s children.

But it is good news for the rest of us who recognize that parents, schools and communities need to reassert their authority over children with enforceable standards of conduct. A fine way to win compliance with such standards is by requiring compliance in exchange for privileges young people covet - such as participation in sports. Yes, it is a privilege, not a civil right, to play football.

Similarly, it is a privilege to hold a job. Employers have a recognized right to require urinalysis as a condition of employment. Equipment operators, for instance, undergo tests to deter intoxication and prevent accidents for which employers would be held liable.

In Vernonia, Ore., safety was among the concerns when an outbreak of flagrant, disruptive drug abuse hit the school. Tragic injuries do occur in sports, and drugs increase the risk. A drug culture also trashes the learning environment. Youngsters entrapped by it may suffer permanent damage. Face it, liberals: Children require discipline. Without it, their immaturity can lead them off the edge of cliffs.

Acting for the community as well as the students’ own interests, school officials required urinalysis, which is 99.94 percent accurate, for all participants in the athletic program. One student sued. Others abandoned drugs; school disciplinary problems fell by 50 percent.

The Supreme Court upheld the testing. It recognized schools are entrusted with the same rights and authority parents have. This includes the right to impose limits and conditions on juvenile behavior. Competing rights, such as protection from warrantless searches, do have their place - in law enforcement. But if the courts had injected civil rights into child-rearing, litigation could have made a shambles of parental and school authority.

What if this authority is abused? School boards are locally controlled and accountable. If they go too far, parental uproars can force quick course corrections. Contrast that with civil rights litigation; the Vernonia case began plodding through the courts in the late 1980s.

, DataTimes MEMO: See the Con drug testing editorial under the headline: Students don’t need more accusations

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