Random drug testing in the public schools

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.



I just found out yesterday, that my daughter, Heather, was subject to a mandatory random drug test at school the other day. At the beginning of the school year I had to sign permission for Heather to be randomly tested in order for her to be able to participate in the Pioneer Chorale. I did so, but only under protest because I felt it was a violation of the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which governs unwarranted search of person or property without probable cause. When I found out that they tested her on Monday, I was pissed, and even though I had signed the permission slip, (I had to or Heather couldn't be in the Chorale), I decided that I was going to lodge a larger protest than the one I made when I signed the slip. The following is a letter that I typed to Heather's principal and to the director of the Chorale:

Dear Mr. ******,

My name is Lynette ***** and my daughter, Heather ******, is a senior at Stillwater High School. My purpose in writing this letter to you is to register my protest of Heather's recently being subject to a random drug test, which I believe to be in clear violation of Heather's 4th Amendment Constitutional rights. I understand that in order for Heather to participate in the Pioneer Chorale that I had to sign permission authorizing the school to test her, which I did under protest. As a citizen of this nation, state, and community I feel that it is not only my right, but my obligation to protest an action by an agency of those governments that are sworn to honor and uphold my Constitutional rights.

Enclosed you will find two articles which support my protest, and outline in a very clear and concise manner the opinions that I share with the authors on the subject of random drug testing and why it is not only ineffective in deterring drug use among children, but is also a violation of our children's Constitutional rights. I ask and encourage you to read them and take them into consideration.

Respectfully,
K. Lynette *****


Below you will find Links to the articles mentioned in my letter:

School Drug Testing Violates Rights

Blowing Smoke: Why Random Drug Testing Doesn't Reduce Student Drug Use


My daughter is an outstanding student and citizen with absolutely no record as a trouble-maker at school or a police record. She has given no "probable cause" to have her person searched, nor was there a warrant issued. Is this not clearly a violation of her 4th Amendment rights?

This is scary stuff, folks.

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The shocking reality of illiteracy

Yes, I've heard the statistics over and over again. I've heard how we're graduating high school seniors, and even college graduates who can't read beyond a third grade level, but I had never encountered it until today.

This afternoon I attended a baby shower for one of my voice students who is due to deliver in the next couple of weeks, and when it came time for her to read the cards that accompanied the gifts she received, she was so emotional that she asked some of the young women who were present to read them out loud for her. It was then that the reality of illiteracy came rushing in upon me. These young women, most of them in their early twenties, high school graduates, and some attending college, could not read the simplest lines in a greeting card out loud without laboring and stumbling over the most rudimentary of words such as "hugest" and "surrounded". Having been literally sequestered in an environment where literacy and education are utmost, and having a family that carries on a daily love affair with the written and spoken language, I was unprepared for this scene, and I confess that my shock was most likely scribbled all over my facial expressions. I was quite frankly, embarrassed and taken aback, and it only served to bring home to me what a widespread and tragic problem illiteracy has become amongst the youth of this nation. It frightens and disturbs me, and I confess that I am at a loss at what we should or even can do about such an obviously serious and widespread problem.

On my part, I have raised three children who love to read, and who are, all three, excellent writers. One of my three children, at the age of 19, now fluently reads, writes, and speaks both English and French, and has plans to pursue her college degrees in language. One of the greatest thrills I have had as the parent of teens is the joy of watching as they read and discover the world's great classic literature. It takes me back to the days when I first discovered the works of Shakespeare, the Oresteia, Plato, Mark Twain, Hemingway, and Elizabeth Barret Browning. Memories I will always hold dear is of a Saturday morning when Lauren and I sat downstairs over a cup of coffee and discussed Dickens, and of the times when Heather has come to me with her astounding creative writing endeavors and asked me to read them and offer my opinions. And it is always a thrill to know that if I come up short on ideas for birthday presents, I know that I can always buy a gift certificate from our local bookstore and it will be eagerly received. There is nothing more satisfying and exciting than parenting children who are eager to read and learn, and I fear for a generation of parents who, because they cannot read themselves, will never instill in their children the love of reading, and as a result, the love of learning.

I fear that we are on the threshold of yet another dark age if something does not change soon.

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