STUDENTS PUT TO THE TEST

Random Drug Screening at O.C. Schools Spurs Debate Over Privacy
Rights and Deterrent Effect.

Austin Reagan could be pulled from his seventh-grade classroom at a
moment's notice and asked to take a drug test.

The 12-year-old -- an avid reader and class president at Vista del
Mar Middle School in San Clemente -- is one of a growing number of
Capistrano Unified School District students who participate in a
voluntary, confidential drug-testing program.

Student drug testing, launched in San Clemente High School in 2002,
is being rolled out at all of the district's 11 middle schools and
six high schools this year, prompting praise from some parents and
concern from others.

Laguna Beach, Tustin, Fullerton and Huntington Beach also have
student drug-testing programs, part of a growing movement at the
center of a nationwide debate over the best way to get children to
say no to drugs.

Advocates like Vista del Mar parent Gail Meinhold say testing
provides a useful tool for young people to stand up to peer pressure.
An outside lab conducts the tests at school and sends results
directly to parents. The initiative, in place in several schools,
starts with seventh-grade students.

"The drugs really start in the second half of eighth grade. It's a
huge problem," said Meinhold, who has a son in seventh grade and
another in high school. "It is a motivation: 'I can be tested
tomorrow, now I can't be involved.' "

But some worry that even the Capistrano model, where school officials
never see results, can create distrust among parents, teachers and students.

"That is going to scare the heck out of the kids," said Kim Wazny,
who signed up her seventh-grade son for the program without realizing
he'd be pulled out of class. "Next year, now I know I will definitely
check 'no.' "

Few would argue against drug-prevention education in California. Red
Ribbon Week, a drug-education program that concluded Friday in many
local school districts, can only do so much.

Nearly 30 percent of seventh-graders and 47 percent of ninth-graders
surveyed said they had drunk alcohol in the past six months,
according to a recent study by the California Attorney General's
Office. Twenty--one percent of 11th-graders were defined as binge or
heavy drinkers -- defined as consuming five drinks in a row within
the past 30 days -- and 22 percent of ninth-grade students admitted
having smoked marijuana, the study reported.

But White House and state education officials disagree about drug testing.

The number of schools that test for drugs has grown since 2002, when
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public high schools can randomly
test students who participate in after-school activities. About 400
schools nationwide now use federal funds for the effort through the
U.S. Department of Education, officials say.

President Bush touted the effort in his 2004 State of the Union
address and this year asked Congress to increase funding for student
drug testing by 45 percent, to $15 million.

But the California office that doles out federal funds for programs
aimed at preventing drug and alcohol abuse does not support drug
testing. Greg Wolfe, a California Department of Education consultant,
said federal law requires that funding slated for the Safe and Drug
Free Schools and Community Program be scientifically proven to work.

"There is no compelling and convincing research that we know of to
show that drug testing is effective," said Wolfe, of the Safe and
Healthy Kids Program Office. "There are some schools that find drug
testing attractive, but they are not using our funds."

Linda Kearns, coordinator of prevention programs at the Orange County
Department of Education, said she'd prefer that scarce money go to
classroom programs that teach kids how to say no.

Kearns said she doesn't have proof that drug testing works and that
"many times it makes students feel that the atmosphere is more
punitive and less supportive."

"My fear is that (tests) are not foolproof all the time," she said.
"Kids learn how to get around them. It also can give parents a false
sense of security. Maybe that was the weekend the kids chose not to use."

Most Orange County school districts have stayed out of the fray altogether.

Anaheim Union High School District doesn't test for drugs but for
three years has deployed specially trained dogs to sniff abandoned
backpacks, lockers and parking lots for drugs, alcohol and gunpowder.

San Clemente High was the first in the Capistrano Unified district to
test for drugs, in 2002. More than half of its students -- about
1,700 -- are enrolled in the free service. Jon Hamro, athletic
director and assistant principal, said the only complaints he hears
are from parents who want their kids tested more often.

Both students and their parents must sign off on any drug-testing program.

In a recent school survey, 57 percent of students polled said they'd
been offered drugs in the past year, and 25 percent of students who
signed up for drug testing said it gave them an excuse to say no.

"All you are doing is giving your kid an opportunity to say no and
save face in front of their peers," Hamro said. "Why wouldn't you do it?"

Once or twice a month, participating students are randomly pulled
from class to provide a urine sample to Laguna Hills-based Complete
Drug Testing.

Testing is conducted in a school bathroom where the hallways and
sinks are sealed. If the test is negative, families get a form
letter. If it is positive, the lab does more analysis and contacts
parents to talk about what creates a false positive and other information.

About 7 percent of students tested last year had a positive drug screen.

Vista del Mar Middle School started testing its students three years
ago. Now 50 percent of students participate, school officials say.
Only a smattering of students are tested every year. But Principal
Jim Sieger said just the threat has had an effect.

"When the word is out among seventh- and eighth-graders you have a
drug-testing program, that is an effective tool," Sieger said. "There
is a sizable amount of students who are exposed to drugs and alcohol
in our community."

Tyler Karahalios, a Vista del Mar eighth-grader, said she knows
students who sniff markers or drink cough syrup that won't show up in
a test. She agreed to be tested but feels conflicted.

"You feel like you are not trusted, especially if you are a good
student and you follow all the rules," said Karahalios, who plays the
piano and participates in soccer and kickboxing. "I understand they
are making us do it because it does clear your name."

Austin's mother, Christina Reagan, is confident her son is not doing
drugs. But she wants to know if things change and he doesn't tell her.

Some friends have questioned whether she's invading his privacy.

"I realize that perhaps one day, as my son gets older, he may
question my decisions, and he may get mad when I agree to participate
in a voluntary drug program," she said. "What I say to that is,
better him mad and alive."