STUDENT DRUG TESTING PUSHED

Federal Officials Lobby Educators

The near-absence of South Carolina school districts that randomly drug
test students drew White House officials to Charleston on Wednesday to
promote the practice to local educators.

Federal officials' stop in the Lowcountry also attracted drug testing
opponents who say it's not an effective or cost-efficient way of
preventing drug use among adolescents.

The tour puts a spotlight on the issue as school administrators
nationwide grapple with ways to keep students away from drugs.

Schools are allowed to randomly test students who either participate
in school athletics programs or in competitive extracurricular
school-sponsored activities, according to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Federal grants averaging $125,000 each are available for school
districts to start or continue random student drug testing. Only one
South Carolina public school district, Marion District 1, has received
the federal grant, and they conducted their first tests in April.
Colleton County schools started random student drug testing this year
with local money, and Superintendent Charles Gale said no one has
tested positive.

Hilton Head Preparatory School, a private school with 450 students,
expanded its testing program in the 2003-04 school year to include
seventh-through 12th-grade students, regardless of whether they
participate in extracurricular activities. Every adult on the school's
campus is subject to testing, too.

At least 10 families pulled their children out of the school because
they didn't agree with the testing, but the school withstood the
student and tuition loss because officials believed it was what was
best for students, said Sue Groesbeck, head of the school.

"It's a deterrent," said Groesbeck, citing the school's student drug
use percentage of 1.9 versus the national percentage of
21.

Random student drug testing gives students an excuse to say no to
drugs when they're around their peers, said Bertha Madras, deputy
director of demand reduction for the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy. The testing isn't meant to lead to punishment,
she said, but to prevent drug use and identify drug-dependent students
who need treatment.

Its benefits far outweigh the cost, Madras said.

"Random student drug testing is a way to strengthen our effort to
protect youth from adverse consequences that really can influence the
course of their lives," she said. "It's not a cure-all and must be
used as part of a comprehensive prevention program."

The Drug Policy Alliance opposes random student drug testing, said
Jennifer Kern, a research associate with the organization. Other goals
of the alliance include legalizing marijuana for medical purposes and
repealing mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses.

Kern said money spent on such surveillance programs would be better
spent on educational programs that give students the support and
information they need. Random drug testing undermines relationships
between students and their teachers, and creates more negative
attitudes among students about school, she added.

Bob Brimmer, project director for a grant to reduce alcohol use in
East Cooper middle and high schools who is also a former substance
abuse counselor, said he didn't think the Charleston district should
be involved in random drug testing because it shifts schools' focus
from prevention to policing. Schools that conduct drug testing have to
figure out answers to complicated issues such as student
confidentiality and what should happen if a student tests positive.

David Colwell, principal of North Charleston High School, said testing
could be an effective deterrent with student and parent support.

"I don't know enough about it, but anything that might lead to the
prevention of substance abuse among adolescents is something we need
to look at," he said.

Senior Chyna Thompson said that for many students, sports make school
worthwhile, and this would make them choose between either following
their passion or doing drugs. Some people might choose to quit the
sport, but a significantly higher percentage would quit the drug, she
said.

"I wouldn't say it's needed, but it could be beneficial," she
said.

Senior Antwan Edwards plays four sports at North Charleston High and
is captain of the football and wrestling teams. Random testing would
be a good way to keep some students from using drugs, he said.

It also would prepare students for life after high school by starting
those tests now, he said.

"If you don't have anything to hide, why not take the test?"