Klarinet Archive - Posting 001057.txt from 2002/06

From: Mark Gresham <mgresham@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] On topic - Music vs. drug testing
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 16:55:32 -0400

Kevin Callahan wrote:
>
> Still I do really worry about enrollment in
> music and after school programs. The lives of children would be the poorer
> for it.

I haven't yet seen anyone mention differences between entirely
"extracurricular activites" and "curriular classes" which require group
"extracurricular" involvement.
When I was in high school, chorus and band were for-credit electives
that involved occasional extracurricular activity (concerts, festivals,
music for sporting events, etc.) but were not purely "extracurricular"
like sports teams or debate teams.
Part of the ruling (as I understand from reading the court's opinion)
involves the notion that extracurricular activities assume a certain
degree of consent to rules and constraints beyond that required for
regular classes (for which such testing would be considered, again if I
read correctly, unreasonable search and siezure).
My assumption (maybe false) is that within the school system in
question the music ensembles may be entirely extracurricular, and my
understanding is that the actual circumstances of the particular case
brought before the court is what is normally weighed in such a ruling,
not a hypothetical situation.
Nevertheless, the hypothetical "hybrid" status of a music class is
what I worry has been, perhaps, left unaddressed.
(If you have not read the actual published ruling and opinions, I
suggest you do, as there's much to ponder in how those conclusions were
reached.)

--
Mark Gresham, composer
mgresham@-----.com/
Lux Nova Press http://www.luxnova.com/
LNP Retail Webstore http://www.luxnova.com/lnpwebstore/

---------------------------------------------------------------------