YET ANOTHER TEST FOR STUDENTS

Many N. Texas Districts Check For Illegal Drugs - Or Soon Will

The learning curve for parents during back-to-school season gets steeper
every year. But this fall, knowing about the newest clothes, backpacks and
shoes isn't enough.

Modern parenthood for those with students in extracurricular activities now
includes an education about testing for recreational drugs and steroids.

The list of school districts that randomly test for drug use has grown
significantly in the last several years. Almost two dozen North Texas
districts have mandatory tests of student athletes and those in the band,
drill team and other school-sponsored groups.

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD will begin drug testing this school year.

That district and Frisco ISD, which has been testing since 2000, also will
start testing for steroids. Grapevine-Colleyville's decision to test came
after The Dallas Morning News reported in February that nine Colleyville
Heritage High athletes, seven of them football players, admitted that they
had used steroids during the previous school year.

Some districts that haven't made the leap to random testing are ramping up
their drug education efforts.

Plano ISD will begin using a new drug education program for students. In
Southlake Carroll, parents of all students in extracurricular activities
must attend mandatory substance abuse training classes before their kids
can participate.

Some experts say they don't have enough data to show that random school
district testing is preventing drug use.

But the nation's drug czar, John Waters, who directs the Office of National
Drug Control Policy, has called student drug testing an "effective, safe
and powerful tool against the threat of drugs in our schools and communities."

For parents wanting to learn more about drug testing, here's a primer:

What gives districts the right to test?

In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court broadened the authority of public schools
to test students for illegal drugs. The court ruled to allow random drug
tests for all middle and high school students participating in competitive
extracurricular activities. The ruling greatly expanded the scope of school
drug testing, which previously had been allowed only for student athletes.

How much does testing cost school districts?

The prices vary widely in districts based on how many students they test,
how often they are tested and what kinds of drugs they test for. Local
school districts can spend from $4,000 to $150,000. Some, like Eagle
Mountain-Saginaw's program, are funded federally.

How do districts determine who is tested?

This also varies. Some districts test athletes only. Others test those in
all extracurricular activities. Still others test all students in
extracurricular activities in grades nine to 12. Some include grades seven
and eight as well.

Most districts contract with a laboratory that tests the drug samples.

How often do districts test?

Most districts test everyone at the start of the school year and then
randomly throughout the year. Some randomly test about 10 percent of
students monthly, others once every six weeks to two months. How often the
districts test depends somewhat on how much money it can afford to spend on
testing. When periodic testing is done, most districts rely on their drug
testing company to use a computerized system to randomly choose students by
ID numbers to test.

What are the punishments for a failed test?

Punishments vary by school district. Some suspend an athlete or student in
an extracurricular activity for a period of time and recommend or require
drug counseling. Those students who test positive once are often
automatically retested when the random testing periods are held. After a
second positive test, students can be removed from the activity or be
allowed only to practice but not compete. If there is a third positive
test, students are disqualified from participating.

What are parents' recourses if their child tests positive?

Parents can ask for a retest or can take the sample that was tested to
another lab. Parents can also appeal through some districts' grievance
processes.

How does the testing process work?

Many districts use urine specimens for testing. But some are now using
hair, oral fluids and sweat because some consider them easier to collect
and more resistant to cheating. Students are usually pulled from class or
are summoned to the office, sometimes during the period during which they
are in the class for the extracurricular activity.

Depending on the student, male or female monitors will accompany the
student to the restroom to collect the sample. A student may initial the
cup or, for confidentiality, an ID number may be used. Many schools send
the sample to a lab. If a sample tests positive, a confirmation test is
usually done. Parents may be called to check if a student is taking a
prescription drug that could affect the results.

How do you know that a school drug-testing program is effective?

National experts who've studied drug testing say it can take a few years to
gauge whether a testing program is successful.

"There is some evidence that it works, but it doesn't change risk factors,"
said Linn Goldberg, a professor of medicine at the Oregon Health and
Science University in Portland, Ore., who has developed his own drug
education program and is studying drug testing across the country.

"There's no question that drug education works," Dr. Goldberg said. "If you
can choose one or the other, I'd do the cheap, proven way. It's best to
provide both."

For some school districts, the results are more anecdotal.

"You hear things in the hallway like, 'I was going to go out on Friday
night, but I just knew we would get tested today, so I stayed home,' " said
Kristen Escovedo, communications director in Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD,
which began drug testing last fall. "Things like that help us know that it
is working."

Frisco athletic director David Kuykendall said he believes that drug
testing makes a difference.

"We're trying to arm our kids with one more tool to say 'No,' " he said.
"There are a large number of kids who might succumb to peer pressure. This
gives them a reason to turn it down.

"We're in it to do more than teach them how to shoot a basketball."

Resources The Office of National Drug Control Policy has information about
random drug testing of students at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov.

Student drug testing grant applications are due Aug. 16, and grants will be
awarded Sept. 29. Schools interested in applying for a federal grant, can
visit www.ed.gov/programs/drugtesting/index.html. In its first two years,
this initiative doled out $2 million to 79 middle and high school
administrators for drug testing programs.

The Dallas Morning News' investigation into steroid use at North Texas high
schools and a database of local school districts that conduct drug testing
are at www.dallasnews.com/specialreports. Click on "The Secret Edge."