Pubdate: Fri, 16 Mar 2007
Source: Daily Astorian, The (OR)
Copyright: 2007 The Daily Astorian
Contact:  http://www.dailyastorian.info/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1629
Author: Craig Lee

UNFAIR AND UNRELIABLE

I would like to address the policy of drug testing of  student 
athletes at Astoria High School. I think that  this is an absurd 
practice that should be stopped for  the following reasons:

The first reason is that forcing students to take a  drug test is a 
violation of their constitutional  rights. The fifth amendment 
protects all citizens from  self-incrimination, and forcing a student 
to  participate in a drug test is just like forcing someone  to 
answer a question in court.

The second reason I do not support drug testing of  student athletes 
is that it diminishes the level of  trust between students; it is 
basically telling  students we do not trust them. I think that it is 
important to build trust with students and it is unfair  to expect 
students to trust educators if the educators  do not trust them.

The third reason I do not support drug testing of  student athletes 
is the possibility of false positives.  A false positive occurs when 
the test shows the  presence of a drug even though the test taker did 
not use that drug. Physicians have reported false 
positives  occurring as often as 50 percent of the time and 
from  something as simple as eating a poppy-seed muffin.

For these reasons I think that drug testing of students  is 
unconstitutional, unfair and unreliable.

Craig Lee

Portland
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MAP posted-by: Elaine