Should School Districts Drug-Test Teachers?

Some U.S. school districts require random drug-testing of teachers, and the issue is being increasingly debated across the country. The question is, does drug-testing work?

John Stuart / Iconica / Getty

A judge ruled random teacher-testing unconstitutional.

One could argue that some jobs — painting, writing, being a rock star — are better performed under the influence. But other jobs should clearly be given only to the perpetually sober: we don't want our railroad operators or nuclear-plant employees to be smoking up on the job. So it seems appropriate that U.S. employees in those high-risk positions are routinely subjected to random drug-testing.

But what about people who work in less perilous, if equally unpredictable, environments — say, with children in public schools? Should teachers be randomly drug-tested too? Yes, says Linda Lingle, the Republican governor...

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