Board of Education v. Earls

Board of Education v. Earls, was a 2002 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States which ruled, 5-4, that mandatory drug testing of students in extracurricular activities was constitutional. It was brought by two parents against the school board of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, alleging that their policy requiring students to consent to random urinalysis testing for drug use violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The majority decision, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, with a concurring opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer held that students in extracurricular activities had a diminished expectation of privacy, and that the policy furthered an important interest of the school in preventing drug use among students. This rationale was based on the precedent Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton, which allowed drug testing for athletes.