HAYWOOD DRUG-TESTING PROGRAM HAS THE WRONG STUDENTS IN ITS SIGHTS

Though I live in Bun-combe County, I read the story, "Haywood County
schools to start random drug testing," (AC-T, June 6), with interest.
I have one child at each level of schooling in Buncombe, and they are
the kind of kids whose body fluids Haywood school administrators
seek -- involved kids.

On Monday, June 5, the Haywood County Board of Education (HCBoE) met
and adopted a random drug-testing policy for kids who are involved in
extracurricular activities or who have parking privileges. Starting
with high-schoolers, the testing may later spread to Haywood's middle
schools. They seek traces of cocaine, PCP, alcohol, methamphetamine,
marijuana, Darvon, valium, opiates (Vicodin, Oxycontin), methadone,
performance-enhancing drugs and masking agents used to beat drug tests.

Six citizens went before the HCBoE to address the issue before the
vote -- five in favor, one opposed.

The naysayer was the only expert to show up, Waynesville's Dr. Norman
Hoffman. President of Evince Assessments in Waynesville, Hoffman's
resume indicates he is "a nationally and internationally recognized
expert in the evaluation of addictions and behavioral health
treatment programs and in clinical assessment of addictive and mental
health disorders" with 25 years of experience.

Hoffman told the board, "The problem with your policy is that it is
like the fellow looking for his car keys under the lamp because the
light is better there, when he lost them out in the garden."

I have mentioned before that two of The5Russells are in band, the
kind of extracurricular activity that would automatically make them
suspect in Haywood.

Though I swore when I started writing that I wouldn't use this column
to brag on my kids, I have mentioned before that my son Matthew is in
high school, has a lot of nice friends and makes good grades, as in
A-B honor roll.

We're happy with the education he is receiving and his attitude
toward it (except homework). We have no reason to suspect he is
putting anything in his body that he shouldn't. Moving from ninth
grade to sophomore-hood, his future looks bright.

For the sake of argument, let's pretend we have similar policies in
Buncombe and we can fast-forward two years. Matt has dropped out of
band. Once an eager learner, he now sits in the back of the classroom
hiding behind long blondish-red hair and loud music from his Ipod.
His grades have fallen. He doesn't hang out with the friends we have
gotten to know anymore, and his new friends don't come over.

While quarterback Johnny Bluechip is being "rewarded" for taking on
hours of sweat and toil on the football field in addition to his
classwork with a drug test just because his number randomly came up,
Matthew continues to fall behind and get further out of the loop.

This is the time someone needs to see if Matthew is putting anything
in his body he should not be. Though parents can sign a consent form
allowing kids who are not involved in sports or other activities to
be involved in the drug-testing program, from what I've read of the
policy, there are no plans to do anything but random testing.

And tax dollars pay for it. No mention was made in any of the stories
I have read on this issue of how this will be funded, so my guess is
the HCBoE is putting up the dough.

Everyone who pays county taxes pays to ensure the best and brightest
of our children have not had a toke off a joint while others may
slide down an obstacle-free path toward oblivion.

Over and over, I have told my kids I trust them, and that that trust
is theirs to break. As long as they are where they are supposed to
be, doing what they are supposed to be doing with the people they are
supposed to be with, they will continue to have my trust and the
privileges that go along with it -- the antithesis of Haywood's stance.

In Haywood's system, if called, high achievers must come and prove
their innocence without any sort of probable cause at all. Will that
thing about "innocent until proven guilty" only be taught in the past
tense in Haywood's civics classes?

Do I want any of those aforementioned substances in my kids' bodies?
Absolutely not. Nothing in that list helps kids prepare for
adulthood. But the Haywood program is testing the wrong kids.

If we're going to spend taxpayer money to test kids, let's test the
ones lost in the weeds, not the ones frolicking successfully in the
spotlight.