While some students and adults in the Seneca Valley School District will continue to argue that the district's drug-testing process constitutes an invasion of privacy, the fact remains that it is district policy.

That means, as long as it remains in effect, it must be obeyed.

One of the basics of education in the school/classroom environment is adhering to rules - a learning experience that should be well-ingrained in the home, but sometimes isn't, long before a child begins his or her formal education. Adhering to good, well-thought-out rules has positive results - and Seneca Valley officials believe that the results thus far regarding the district's drug-testing policy confirm the policy's value.

They seem to be correct in that assumption.

The testing statistics confirm that the policy is not being regarded lightly by students. The ramifications of violating it are so unpalatable, it can be surmised that only the foolish or shortsighted would want to risk "testing" it.

As of March 23, only one-half of one percent of Seneca students tested positive for drug use; the national average is 2 to 3 percent. As of that date, the district had tested 2,409 of the 3,464 students in Grades 7 through 12.

Twenty students tested positive - 12 in the senior high school, six at the intermediate school and two at the middle school.

The district has the right attitude about the testing policy - that it is less about punishment than about identifying the problem and helping the students who use drugs to become former users. However, punishments for testing positive are an acceptable adjunct to the policy that must be employed consistently as a further incentive for students to steer clear of drug use.

There have been no allegations about inconsistency on the school district's part.

"This program obviously serves as a deterrent for students from doing drugs," said Donald Tylinski, Seneca Valley superintendent.

The program also is geared toward safety - the need for sound mind and body in sports and other extracurricular activities and regarding the right to drive a vehicle to school, rather than ride a bus.

"They (students) are driving on the same roads our families drive and playing on the same fields our kids play on," said Linda Andreassi, a district spokeswoman. "Participation in sports, clubs and organizations, plus driving to school, are considered privileges at Seneca Valley."

School districts are required to do all they can to provide a good education for their students. Districts have the right to employ reasonable policies to help them accomplish that objective.

Seneca Valley officials know there won't ever be 100 percent public and student agreement with the district's drug-testing policy, but they like what they are witnessing regarding the low number of positive drug tests.

Although unpopular in the eyes of some people - including many non-users - the policy is forcing Seneca Valley students to think twice about using drugs and, as a benefit of that, enjoy some of the many positive extracurricular activities that the district offers.

Until they graduate from the structured school environment, students must be willing to live by the rules in effect. Later in life, as they reflect on this particular policy as they dwell on concerns regarding their own children, it's likely that most Seneca Valley graduates exposed to the testing rule will more deeply appreciate what it sought to achieve in terms of their own long-term best interests.