DRUG TESTING PLAN DRAWS QUESTIONS

St. Charles County -- A few parents took advantage Tuesday night of
their first opportunity to ask questions of Francis Howell School
District administrators about a proposed drug testing program for students.

The first of three town hall meetings to discuss the proposal drew
about 30 people. It generated about an hour of discussion after
district officials explained the program. One topic that came up
repeatedly was how the program targets students for testing.

The proposal would require students who are involved in
extracurricular activities or have a permit to park on high school
campuses to submit to random urine tests throughout their high
school years. High school students not involved in activities and
middle school students could participate voluntarily.

But Debe Hoffman, 47, of O'Fallon, the parent of two current
district students and one graduate, said students who aren't in
extracurricular activities might be the ones who need the testing the most.

Jim Joyce, the district's director of communications, said a U.S.
Supreme Court ruling doesn't allow public school districts to
randomly test all students. But the court has permitted random
testing of students who are in a protected class, such as those
involved in extracurricular activities.

Todd Berck, dean of students and head football coach at Francis
Howell Central High School, said a committee that studied the
testing program designed it to include students with a parking pass
to make the pool of students being tested as large as possible.

In an interview, Hoffman said that she hadn't been aware of the
legal restraints and that she strongly supported the testing program.

Joyce has said the program is intended to be a partnership between
parents and the schools to help identify students who use drugs and
find help for them.

"This program is not designed to be a 'gotcha' program," he said.

Edith Grabbe, 45, of O'Fallon, the parent of two children in the
district, said she would not voluntarily sign her children up for
testing unless she believed they had problems with drugs. She said
she had worked as an analytical chemist before having children and
that tests can produce false positives.

The board is expected to vote on the policy on June 15. Two more
town hall meetings remain, at 7 p.m. tonight at Francis Howell North
High School, 2549 Hackmann Road, St. Peters; and at 7 p.m. Thursday
at Francis Howell Central High School, 5199 Highway N, Cottleville.

The tests would check for substances, including marijuana, cocaine,
benzodiazepines, anabolic steroids, opiates, methamphetamines and ecstasy.