Vernonia v. Acton
Does drug testing violate the fourth amendment rights of students? In 1995, Vernonia v. Acton sought to answer that question. This case was brought to the Supreme Court, and the Court ruled in favor of the Vernonia School District. Since then, drug testing has been widely used throughout the nation. Vernonia v. Acton is a landmark court case; therefore, it is important to understand the history, background, constitutional issues, and the current impact of the case.
The story of Vernonia v. Acton starts before 1995. In Vernonia, Oregon, the school administration noticed an exponential increase in drug use by the students during the 1980s. The “Student Athlete Drug Policy” was added repsonsively. The policy applied to all athletes. The athletes were randomly selected to be tested for drugs by urinating into a cup. James Acton, seventh grader, wanted to sign up for football. He brought home the consent form to his parents, who refused to sign it. Acton’s parents decided to sue the school stating drug testing violated their son’s fourth amendment rights. The first through eighth circuits of court ruled in favor of the school and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling by ruling in favor of the Actons. The case was brought to the Supreme Court, who ruled in favor of the Vernonia School District. …show more content…
The major industry in the town was sports, which led the school district to apply the drug policy only to their major influencers, the athletes. The case takes place after a similar case, New Jersey v. T.L.O., which also dealt with “searching” in public schools. Many of the points made in New Jersey v. T.L.O. were also brought up in Vernonia v. Acton. The ninth circuit court that overturned the other rulings said that the “Student Athlete Drug Policy” violated the fourth amendment as well as Article 1, Section 9 of the Oregon
Does drug testing violate the fourth amendment rights of students? In 1995, Vernonia v. Acton sought to answer that question. This case was brought to the Supreme Court, and the Court ruled in favor of the Vernonia School District. Since then, drug testing has been widely used throughout the nation. Vernonia v. Acton is a landmark court case; therefore, it is important to understand the history, background, constitutional issues, and the current impact of the case.
The story of Vernonia v. Acton starts before 1995. In Vernonia, Oregon, the school administration noticed an exponential increase in drug use by the students during the 1980s. The “Student Athlete Drug Policy” was added repsonsively. The policy applied to all athletes. The athletes were randomly selected to be tested for drugs by urinating into a cup. James Acton, seventh grader, wanted to sign up for football. He brought home the consent form to his parents, who refused to sign it. Acton’s parents decided to sue the school stating drug testing violated their son’s fourth amendment rights. The first through eighth circuits of court ruled in favor of the school and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling by ruling in favor of the Actons. The case was brought to the Supreme Court, who ruled in favor of the Vernonia School District. …show more content…
The major industry in the town was sports, which led the school district to apply the drug policy only to their major influencers, the athletes. The case takes place after a similar case, New Jersey v. T.L.O., which also dealt with “searching” in public schools. Many of the points made in New Jersey v. T.L.O. were also brought up in Vernonia v. Acton. The ninth circuit court that overturned the other rulings said that the “Student Athlete Drug Policy” violated the fourth amendment as well as Article 1, Section 9 of the Oregon