QUARREL OVER TESTING SENDS WRONG MESSAGE

What do Hawai'i's hospitals and Wal-Mart have in common?

They both have random drug-testing policies to protect patients and
consumers - in other words, the public.

If they can agree to set certain standards and expectations, why can't
those who influence and educate the most precious gifts our community
has?

Hawai'i's students have enough on their plates already, and issues
such as peer pressure, sex, violence, the Internet and drug abuse
already weigh heavily on the minds of parents.

Do we really want someone addicted to meth/ice, cocaine, heroin, pot,
etc., corrupting or harming our children, or worse, supplying them
with these harmful substances?

The longer we inconsiderately continue to quarrel over and meander
through this issue of random drug testing for Hawai'i teachers, what
message are we really sending to the future leaders of tomorrow?

That their safety means less than the sick or consumers?

Instead of squabbling, we need to adopt the same mentality for
drug-testing policies that we did for drug dealers peddling their
poison near the very places we now harbor many of their clients.

JOSEPH HARRIS

Mililani