Last month DPA launched a new group on the social networking site Facebook to oppose invasive and ineffective random student drug testing programs. Our goals are to raise awareness among high school and college students and provide more young people with the tools to take a stand against random student drug testing.

A tremendous amount of momentum has built up around this effort in a short time. The group already has 250 supporters, and is drawing attention both inside and outside the student community. Upon learning about the Facebook cause, school prevention expert Jeff Wolfsberg invited DPA’s Youth Policy Manager, Jennifer Kern, to discuss student drug testing on his student-targeted podcast, which is available online.

Let the students in your life know they can get involved by adding the Facebook Cause "Drug Testing Invades My Privacy" to their Facebook profiles.  To kick off the campaign, we are offering free stickers to all who participate.

These efforts to raise awareness about random student drug testing could bolster other challenges  to the practice in California. On August 5, the ACLU of Northern California sent a letter to the Shasta Union High School District warning that their student drug testing policy may be unconstitutional based on the higher privacy protections of the California state constitution.

If the challenge moves forward in court, DPA will support the effort. We played a role in last March’s victory in Washington where the state supreme court ruled that student drug testing violates students’ rights under their Washington State Constitution.