DARE EDUCATION BOARD MEMBERS TO CONSIDER DRUG TESTING

Most members of the Dare County Board of Education think too many
students are using drugs, and a three-member committee will meet
Tuesday night to begin considering random drug screening.

Board members Joseph G. Farrow, Walter Holton, and Kirk "Skip"
Saunders will form a committee to discuss imposing random drug testing
for participation in high school sports, extracurricular activities
and campus parking.

Six of the seven school board members said a screening policy might
help deter drug use, make schools and sports safer and help students
who are abusing drugs.

The committee will consider whether testing would be useful, how many
students to screen, what drugs to test for and what to do when a
student fails a screening.

Public hearings could be held as soon as January, and board members
are asking students, parents and staff to contact them with concerns
and ideas.

"Above all, I hope bringing this up has opened a dialogue," Saunders
said.

Board members stress that drug screening would add to existing
anti-drug programs, which include curriculum-based awareness classes
in middle school, free substance-abuse counseling and peer mentoring
programs.

Students who fail tests would not be disciplined, screening results
would be confidential, and police would not be involved, board members
say.

Instead, students who fail drug screenings could be excluded from
activities until they enter recommended treatment and educational programs.

Board members Farrow, Holton, Sanders, Nicholas R. Nuzzi, Thomas Maher
and Chairman David Oaksmith said the district could do more to prevent
drug use, but they want to research the issue before imposing drug
screening.

Oaksmith said earlier this month that the entire board seemed to be in
agreement. But board member Martin Booth said he wants to see proof
that drug use is as severe as other board members contend it is. Booth
said drug screening would invade students' privacy and should not be
imposed unless the level of drug use justifies it. "We need to act
like professionals, get the data and see what it tells us," he said. A
district survey of students in 2000 found that the percentage of Dare
County students who use drugs and alcohol tops national averages.

Booth, however, said few students are caught with drugs when the
sheriff's office runs unannounced searches of schools, lockers and
cars with drug-sniffing dogs.

This fall, the sheriff's office arrested four students at First Flight
High School for marijuana possession and one at Manteo High School for
heroin possession during a search at each campus, said Chief Deputy
Phillip Etheridge. No drugs were found at Cape Hatteras Secondary School.

Other board members said enough parents and students have asked the
district to help reduce substance abuse that they feel compelled to
act.

"Whether we all want to admit it or not, this is a high drug-use
county," Holton said. "Kids are very susceptible to peer pressure. I
view drug testing as an opportunity to take that pressure off them.
"

Holton said drug testing would also prepare students for future
careers that might require pre-employment or random drug screening.

Still, all school board members say they are concerned that not many
schools do drug screening and research is mixed on whether it keeps
students off drugs. Some are also worried about how much it would cost.

At least 14 of the state's 117 public school districts have random
drug screening, according to a survey contracted by the district.

Nationally, many districts have been considering drug testing in
recent years, while the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that schools can
test students who participate in activities that are considered
privileges, such as sports, clubs and campus parking.

The court has not yet considered whether a school could test an entire
student body.

For now, few parents seem concerned about drug testing, said Tammy
Jennings, president of Manteo High's PTA. When parents gathered last
month for a staff appreciation lunch, nobody brought up the subject,
she said.

School board members, though, have gotten a few calls and e-mails on
the issue. Saunders said he has received fewer than 10 messages about
drug screening.

"We've gotten some feedback, some positive and some negative," he
said.

Parents who criticize the idea typically say drug testing would invade
student privacy, board members said.

Some students are making that argument, though most do not know the
details about what the school board is considering, said Zach
Wierzenski, a First Flight High School senior.

Wierzenski, who said he does not drink or use drugs, is trying to
organize students and teachers to oppose drug screening. He has put
information on his personal Web site.

He said drug testing would be an invasion and would not deter drug
abuse. Dozens of students at First Flight High agree and are planning
to protest if the policy is approved, Wierzenski said.

Wierzenski said the district should instead shift its anti-drug
education from middle school to high school.

"The drug use is atrocious in Dare County. . . . It's an eerie
presence that exists, but nobody wants to talk about it," he said.
"The education needs to be in high school. You got to teach the kids
who know what you are talking about, and the school isn't doing that."

Nuzzi, though, said drug screening could be a valuable addition to
anti-drug lessons. He said the district should consider drug testing
because substance abuse is hindering education.

"Our business is to educate our kids, and if they are under the
influence and come to school with it in their system, they will not be
prepared to learn," he said.