Some experts say the newer rulings reflect a shift in the public's approach to preventing drug use.
Last week, the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, in Denver, said the Tecumseh, Okla., school district violated students' constitutional rights by requiring drug tests for anyone who participated in interscholastic activities. Early this month, a federal judge rejected mandatory drug testing for all students in grades seven through 12 in Lockney, Tex., a town northeast of Lubbock. And state courts in Indiana, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania have expressed similar reservations about such policies in the last seven months. There's not just the knee-jerk reaction against any effort to challenge a policy that purports to be about pursuing the war on drugs. The move toward drug testing, and the recent rulings against it, come amid a broader school safety crackdown that has restricted student freedom.