Should Students who Participate in Extracurricular Activities Be Subjected to Random Drug Testing?

Studies have shown that students who participate in extracurricular activities are less likely to consume drugs if they are subject to random drug testing. This way, a student's health can be monitored just as their education is. Conversely, random drug testing has continued to under go criticism from students, parents, and administrators. They argue that random drug testing infringes on their constitutional rights. However, random drug testing should be protected by the Fourth and the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Fourth Amendment mandates that federal actors not subject individuals to unreasonable searches and seizures, allowing them to maintain their bodily, personal, and professional integrity (McCray 387). By incorporation, the Fourteenth Amendment extends the Fourth Amendment's edict to guarantee the same rights against state actors, state actors includes public school officials (McCray 387). When the public school requires the mandatory collection of urine or other body specimens in drug testing programs, the Supreme Court has consistently held that the programs constitute searches within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment (McCray 387-426). Therefore, random drug testing of student who participates in extracurricular activities is with the boundaries of the Fourth Amendment protections.
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