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For student L.N.S.:

Accordingtothefourthamendment,therightagainstunreasonablesearchesshallnot
beviolated.Thisincludesapersonshome,possessions,lockers,apersonsbody,andmore.
Inordertoperformasearchofsomeonespossessions,apersonwouldneedprobable
cause,approvalfromajudge,andawarrant.ThenewrandomdrugscreeningpolicyAdam
LinnRegionalHighSchoolDistrictimposedsaysthatifastudentwouldliketoparticipatein
extracurricularactivities,theyhadtoagreetoberandomlyscreenedforillegalalcoholordrug
use.StudentLNS(heisreferredtothisduetohisstatusasaminor),aheavilyrecruited
NCAADivision1prospect,wascalleddowntotakethistestasafootballplayer.Hetested
positiveandwasremovedfromtheteam.Theschoolhadnopriorevidenceastoifstudent
LNSwasusingillegalsubstances,soistheschoolallowedtodothistohim?Accordingtothe
fourthamendment,theyarenot,sincethesearchdidnothaveaprobablecause.Thebest
playerontheteamremovedforsomethingtheschoolisnotevenconstitutionallyallowedto
do.Now,ifstudentLNShadillegaldrugsinplainsight,hecouldhavebeenarrestedand
punishedunderschoolpolicy.Buttherewasnoevidencewhatsoeverastoifhewasusingan
illegalsubstance.
Now,thisrandomdrugtestingpolicyAdamLinnRegionalHighSchoolhasimposed
isalsounconstitutional.Ifastudentwishestoparticipateinextracurricularactivities,theyhave
alltherightstodoso.Nowtheschoolisputtingbarriersinthewaybyputtingthispolicyinto
use.Theyareholdingsearcheswithnoreasonastowhytheyaredoingthem.Noprobable
cause,nowarrant,noapprovalfromajudge.Again,thisisviolatingthestudentsfourth
amendmentrightsandshouldnotbetolerated.InthecourtcaseNewJerseyvsT.L.O.,
studentT.L.O.wasfoundsmokingintheschoolbathroom.Theprincipalcommandedtosee
herpursewhereshefoundevidenceofhersellingmarijuana.Shethenadmittedtothepolice


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thatshewassellingmarijuana,andchargeswerepressed.Shewenttojuvenilecourt,and
thecourtsidedwiththeschool.Fromthere,T.L.O.tookhercasetotheNewJerseySupreme
Courtwheretheyfoundthatthesearchwasunreasonable.Theygavethedecisiontothe
SupremeCourt.However,theNewJerseySupremeCourtwascorrectwhentheysaidthe
searchwasnotreasonable.Theyhadnoprobablecause,warrant,orapprovalfromajudge
whentheysearchedherpurse.Therefore,thesearchwasunconstitutionalandshouldhave
notbeenusedagainsther,justlikestudentL.N.S.

For school:
InVernoniaSchoolDistrict47Jv.Actonin1995,theSupremeCourtdecidedthat
randomdrugscreeningtestswereconstitutional.Theserandomdrugscreeningtestsare
simplyapartofparticipatinginanextracurricularactivity,andtheschoolshavetherightto
enforcethem,eversince1995.Theyaretheretoprotectthestudentsandtheirhealth,notto
punishthem.Thispolicydoesnotviolateastudentsfourthamendmentrightsduetothefact
thatthistestisreasonable.Wemightnothaveawarrant,butwedohaveareasonastowhy
wedothesetests.52.2%ofpeoplewhousedrugsarefromage1220.Sevenoutoftenof
theseteensonaveragehavetakendrugs.Thisisaverybigpercentage.Ifweweretoallow
thesestudentswhoareondrugstoparticipateinextracurricularactivities,especiallysports,it
wouldbecomedangerousduetothefactthatdrugscangetintoonesbrainandslowdown
theirthoughtsandreactions.AndaccordingtothecourtcaseNewJerseyv.T.L.O,wedonot
needawarranttoconductsearchesinschool.

VernoniaSchoolDistrict47Jv.Actonruledthat[s]choolyearsarethetimewhen
physical,psychological,andaddictiveeffectsofdrugsaremostsevereandofcoursethe
effectsofadruginfestedschoolarevisitednotjustupontheusers,butupontheentire


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studentbodyandfaculty,astheeducationalprocessisdisrupted.JustasIstatedbefore,
drugsaremostseverearoundthistimeofapersonslifeandtheyarethreateningto
everyone.Allthedrugtestsdoarereducetheamountofincidentsthatcanbecausedbythe
useofdrugs.Theschoolstrytobeaslaxastheycanaboutthesituation,buttheyalsoneed
tokeepitundercontrol.Thetestsareonlytoberuntoseeifthestudenthasconsumeddrugs,
theylooksfornothingelse.Also,nottomention,theresultsofthetestsstaywithintheschool
andwhomeverelsemaybeconcerned,fortheschooldoesnotsharethisinformationwithlaw
enforcementauthoritiesnorisusedagainstthechildfordisciplineuses.Asforthefourth
amendment,itwasnotsettled.However,thecourtdiddecidethatthepolicyISreasonable
whichmeans

itis

constitutional.

My Stance:
Constitutionally,theschoolsarenotallowedtodrugtesttheirstudents.Drugshave
beenslowlystealingawayourrightsandfreedoms,especiallyourfourthamendmentright.
AmendmentIVTherightofthepeopletobesecureintheirpersons,houses,papers,and


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effects,againstunreasonablesearchesandseizures,shallnotbeviolated,andnoWarrants
shallissue,butuponprobablecause,supportedbyOathoraffirmation,andparticularly
describingtheplacetobesearched,andthepersonsorthingstobeseized.Policeand
authoritiesnowaresearchingpeoplewithoutprobablecauseorreason,suchasstudent
L.N.S.,completelyignoringthefourthamendment.Ifitwereanyothersubjectbesidesdrugs,
thenthepolicewouldlookforareasonbeforesearching.Drugsarenotoncementionedinthe
constitution,wherealmosteverythingelseis.Sincethereisnothingtolookoffof,suchasan
amendment,whenitcomestodrugs,theyjustassumethattheycanjustgoaheadand
searchalltheywant.Andsincethereisnothingaboutdrugs,drugshaveprettymuchjust
beenaccepted.Thisisnotacceptable,forthereneedstobesomethingintheconstitution
aboutprohibitingdrugs.

In1919,thefederalgovernmentamendedtheconstitutionandprohibitedalcohol.If
thegovernmentmadealcoholunconstitutional,thenbycommonsense,theyshouldmake
drugsunconstitutional,too.Drugsandalcoholareverysimilarinthewaystheyaffecta
person,thereforedrugsshouldbementionedatleastatonepoint.Drugscomeupinmany
cases,whetheritbedrugtesting,orsimplyfindinganaveragecitizenonthestreetsdealing
drugs.Thereisnotmuchacourtcandecideonsincethereisnothingintheconstitutionto
referto.Asimplesolutiontothiswouldbetoaddanamendmentprohibitingdrugs.Then
everythingwouldbeclearedup.

Whilethereisnothingintheconstitutionaboutsayingthatschoolscanthavethedrug
testingpolicy,thetenthamendmentsaytheycanenforceit.AmendmentXThepowersnot
delegatedtotheUnitedStatesbytheConstitution,norprohibitedbyittothestates,are
reservedtothestatesrespectively,ortothepeople.ThissaysthatanythingtheFederal


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governmentdoesnthavepowerover,thenthestatesorpeoplearegiventhepower.Although
theydohavethepowertoenforcethepolicy,itisthedrugtestingpartthatisunconstitutional.
Whentheschoolteststhestudenttoseeiftherearedrugsintheirbody,theyareviolatingthe
fourthamendment,sincetheyaresearchingonespossession(inthiscasetheirbody)without
probablecause.Overall,thepolicyisunconstitutionalandthesubjectofthepolicy(drugs)is
notstatedintheconstitutionatevenonepointtosearchfor.


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Bibliography

http://digitalcommons.law.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5642&context=lalrev
://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6890&context=j
clc
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nationwidetrends
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/dcj/school/chap13.pdf
http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/MainMenu/Publiceducation/Thelawanditsi
nfluenceonpublicschooldistrictsAnoverview/Searchandseizuredueprocessand
publicschools.html
http://www.uscourts.gov/multimedia/podcasts/Landmarks/NewJerseyvTLO.aspx