DRUG TESTS AT SISD DOING A SERVICE

In the old days, we had hall monitors.

Today, we have drug testers.

Times have changed, and the San Antonio Independent School District
has changed with them.

In January, the district launched a free drug-testing program for
students in the sixth through ninth grades, the Express-News reported.

If children test positive, the district may refer them to drug abuse
counseling.

Unlike other districts throughout the state, where the policies are
involuntary and punitive, the SAISD program is available only to
children and parents who agree to participate.

The results are not used to determine eligibility for extracurricular
activities or other school activities.

"There is absolutely nothing punitive attached," Sylvia Rendon, the
director of guidance and counseling for the district, told the
Express-News. "Our plan is basically to provide a tool kit for parents."

It is sad that such a program is necessary, but it would be sadder
still if the program did not exist. To ignore a problem is to make
sure that it will grow and grow. And our kids do not need that.

The program is the only one of its kind in Bexar County, and because
it is voluntary, there should be no concerns that the civil rights of
the children are being violated, complaints that have arisen in other
districts. Tests are administered only with the consent of the
students and their parents. And the results are given only to parents
or guardians.

Schools are there to educate children. If that education includes
information on how they can save themselves, so much the better. The
district is performing a valuable service for the children and the
community.