Random Drug Testing of Public School Children
by admin ~ August 11th, 2009.
A high proportion of public school districts have been instituting random drug testing on their high school students much beyond the sanctions set by the U.S. Supreme Court, as per a study led by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).
From News-Medical.Net:
Nearly all school districts that implemented random drug testing procedures subjected their athletes to the possibility of being tested, and two-thirds randomly tested high school students who participated in other extracurricular activities. More than a quarter of the districts that implemented random drug testing subjected all their high school students to the possibility of being tested.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that testing student athletes for drugs is constitutional, even in the absence of any suspicion of substance use. In a subsequent case, the Court extended its ruling to include students participating in extracurricular activities.
“Random student drug testing will likely continue to be controversial and the practice is likely to be contested, just as we saw with the recent ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court,” said Dr. Chris Ringwalt, Senior Research Scientist at PIRE. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled on March 13, 2008, based on a lawsuit that student athletes brought against a local school district, that random drug testing of student athletes is not allowed under the state’s constitution, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1995 ruling (Supreme Court of the State of Washington. York v. Wahkiakum School District No. 200. Docket No: 99-2-00075-6, March 13, 2008).
Dr. Ringwalt said that the study is expected to offer a new dimensional approach for monitoring the occurence and prevalance of random drug testing with an aim to curb the use of steroids in sports in the future.
It will be noteworthy to note here that steroids are believed to be highly beneficial for helping sportsmen to deliver dramatic on-field performances on a consistent basis. However, it is highly recommended for every existing and potential steroid user to observe a high degree of care and diligence along with being open to every piece of useful and qualified information.
Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: drug testing, drugs, random drug testing, steroids, steroids in sports