PV DISTRICT TOUTS BENEFITS OF DRUG-TESTING PROGRAM

More than 600 Paradise Valley Unified School District students
underwent drug tests last school year, according to recent reports.

But that number probably will increase as more parents take advantage
of the district's 14-year-old random drug-testing program, a school
official said.

"Overall, the program is going very well," said Jim Lee, the
district's director of student services. "From a parent perspective,
it might be a way to give a kid a reason to say 'no' and reduce peer
pressure, and to increase the lines of communication."

Only a handful of Arizona school districts, including Queen Creek,
Show Low and Chandler, have random drug testing.

The Phoenix Union, Glendale Union and Deer Valley Unified school
districts do not operate drug-testing programs. But Paradise Valley
has long led the pack of those pushing for the drug tests to curb
substance abuse among teens.

Students, such as athletes, cheerleaders and musicians, who
participate in after-school activities can be subject to random drug
testing, according to a 2002 ruling by the Supreme Court. But few
districts have enforced the testing of high school students because of
the expense and the fear of lawsuits.

Paradise Valley spends about $33,000 annually on its testing program.
Last school year, it became one of the first districts in the state to
randomly test middle school students.

The district annually draws about 1,000 athletes' names from its five
high schools. Of those, about 450 students are tested, Lee said.

Parents also can request that their children be added to the list of
those participating in extracurricular sports or activities for random
testing.

About 60 of those students have been tested since the Maricopa County
Attorney's Office funded this enhancement in November.

Fifty parents of middle school and high school students also requested
vouchers for lab drug tests and 60 received at-home drug tests. The
at-home test checks for cocaine, marijuana and opiates, such as heroin
and methamphetamine.

School administrators, parents and coaches called for the initial
round of student drug tests, which underscored the need for a random
drug-testing program, Lee said.

"When the results came back, they were not only for drugs like
marijuana, but also substances like steroids," he said. "We had a
substance abuse problem."

The school principal and district director of student services are the
only school officials who view drug test results. They contact parents.

"There's no disciplinary action on the part of the school and also no
involvement from law enforcement," he said. "We never see it as a
'gotcha' mechanism. We see it as a proactive way to drug education."

Lee said most parents are grateful for the program, even when the
results come back positive.

"They are very concerned and frightened and want to provide corrective
action and help."

Ultimately, it's about offering parents a way to help children with
substance abuse issues, Lee said.