It helps make schools safer environments

High school athletes should be drug tested because testing will help make schools safer environments. Schools are the homes of students typically for seven hours a day and five days a week. Schools should do everything they can to make sure their collective student body is attending classes in a safe and protected environment. Supreme Court Justices like Clarence Thomas believe that a public school environment is one where the State is responsible for maintaining discipline, health, and safety.^[1] Thus, schools should enforce and implement drug testing policies on their student-athletes. Drugs not only affect a student’s ability to learn but also disrupt the teaching environment, affecting students and instructors as well.^[2] If high school athletes, those most susceptible to drug use, are tested at school, they will be less likely to use and misuse drugs. Drug testing will lead to more conducive and safer environments for learning for all students.