Cynosure

Note, I'm not questioning whether gum chewing, itself, should or should not be allowed in school. I'm not even questioning the merits or the consequences of having chewing gum in school. No, what I'm questioning is schools making a one and only exception of having students chew gum while taking the CSAP tests, and the ethical precedent that might present to the impressionable children-students.

No, chewing gum is not illegal, and using it doesn't have any harmful or lasting effects. (Well, its frequent use can cause cavities.) So, students chewing gum to enhance their test score results isn't anything like athletes taking steroids to enhance their sports performance. Or is it? Because, everyone knows that gum chewing is not allowed at any time, at anywhere, in public schools, and hasn't been for generations. So, why should schools now allow an exception to this, for the CSAP tests – and only for those tests? Well, obviously it's because the results of the CSAP tests are so important to them, i.e. because of school jobs and funding.