All students should be tested for drugs

Melinda Grubbs, Las Vegas

Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008 | 2:02 a.m.

Regarding the Las Vegas Sun’s Tuesday story “Drug testing students might spread beyond Green Valley”: I would like to ask Dan Phillips, principal of Palo Verde High School, why he thinks it is not now a subject of interest for him to implement the same plan of giving random drug tests to the student athletes at his school.

Drugs have always been a problem for our youths. Why would he not choose to drug test his athletic teams as a way to make sure they are staying out of trouble and on the right track? As we see with Lee Koelliker at Coronado High School, he is following Green Valley High School’s example and I believe this is a great idea.

These kinds of programs, in my opinion, encourage students to stay drug free and help them understand what the use of drugs could do to their lives. They would be losing not only their athletic careers, but possible scholarships and grants as well.

Why wouldn’t Mr. Phillips want to drug test his students and keep them on a positive track? I believe all students at local high schools should be tested for drugs.

According to the Sun’s article, the U.S. Supreme Court allows the testing of student athletes only. However, this is something that all students should be tested for and given information about.