David Taintor

Beginning this semester, five high schools around the Milwaukee area are starting to develop new drug testing policies, according to a Jan. 25 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article.

The new testing program is directed at student athletes who sign a personal conduct code before each athletic season begins. By signing the code, students ensure they will not use alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs whether or not they are in-season at the time.

After signing the code at these schools, students become subject to random drug tests. At any point in time the students could be pulled out of class, walked to a private area and asked to urinate in a cup.

Athletes who get caught breaking these codes face multiple game suspensions or even expulsion from the team, depending on the severity of what they did.

Until recently, schools primarily used the honor system, and only placed punishment on the few students who got caught by the police.

Seven years ago, high schools began to realize these policies might not be a strong enough deterrent, and some decided to develop a random drug testing policy for all of their student-athletes.

Their decisions were upheld in 2002 when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed schools to test student-athletes along with those who are involved in extracurricular activities.

Supporters of the decision argue the students are voluntarily signing up for the activities they participate in and voluntarily sign the code.

Afterwards, Justice Clarence Thomas commented that testing the students is a “reasonably effective means of addressing the school district’s legitimate concerns in preventing, deterring and detecting drug use.”

Personally, I couldn’t agree more.

First off, let me establish that this is not coming from someone who is against the use of drugs, regardless if it’s for medicinal or recreational use.

However I feel there is a time and a place for everything, and being a student-athlete in high school is absolutely not the time.

Throughout high school I was involved in two varsity sports and took them both very seriously.

To be successful it was important that everyone on the team worked hard together with the same goal, maybe not necessarily to win, but at least to try your hardest.

If one person on the team isn’t taking things as seriously as everyone else, it not only reflects poorly on the school and the team, but also greatly hinders a chance to be successful.

In high school I was the goalie on our varsity soccer team and didn’t take it lightly, especially my senior year. It was the last time I was ever going to get to play organized sports, and I worked my tail off to ensure that the entire team could be successful.

I played literally my entire life prior to that final season, and having a teammate caught up in drug abuse would have been unfair to me, the rest of the team, the coaches and the families who supported them in their athletic career.

These random drug tests not only weed out the players who are too entrenched in drug usage, but they also provide a reason for the occasional user to stop.

The thing I don’t really understand is the argument against it. Many parents at these schools have caused an uproar and claim that it is an invasion of privacy. Aren’t they really just saying, “It’s okay for my kid to use drugs while participating in extracurricular activities?”

All the schools are trying to do is make sure that things are fair for everyone playing on their teams or participating in their clubs.

At the same time they hope to make these groups more elite by removing the people who probably shouldn’t be there.

It isn’t like these school administrators are digging into the lives of these students. It’s a privilege, not a right, to participate in these activities and all they ask is that you don’t use alcohol, tobacco or drugs.

Every high school in the country should develop some type of drug testing policy for its athletes.

The schools guidelines aren’t any stricter than that of which the government asks its citizens to abide by. Not only do these activities go against school conduct codes, but they are also against the law.

Pellegrino is a sophomore print
journalism major and showcase editor for The Spectator.