MAYORAL AIDE EXPLAINS DRUG-TESTING PROPOSAL

Mayor Phil Gordon wants to see more Phoenix schools implement random drug
testing to combat illicit use among teens.

He has joined forces with Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, who
committed $120,000 to expand a program in the Paradise Valley Unified
School District and to launch pilot drug-prevention programs in at least
five other Phoenix school districts. The projects will be funded with money
seized in drug busts.

The Arizona Republic recently caught up with Bill Scheel, senior assistant
to the mayor, who helped shed light on the mayor's preliminary plans:

QUESTION: Why conduct random drug testing in Phoenix schools when only a
handful of school districts in the state now conduct the drug tests?

ANSWER: It's an issue that has greatly concerned Mayor Gordon since way
back when he served on the Madison School District Governing Board and
realized elementary school students were experimenting with drugs. He felt
that he needed to make this a priority to help curb the problem.

Q: The U.S. Supreme Court favors drug testing only students in competitive
after-school activities, such as sports or school clubs. But Mayor Gordon
wants to expand the testing to all students. Do you fear that testing all
students could open the door to lawsuits for school districts?

A: No, because the testing would not be mandatory. What Mayor Gordon
advocates is a strictly voluntary and random testing program, where all
those who participate want to participate.

Q: Students participating in random drug-testing programs do so because
it's required to participate in a sport or competitive club. What's the
incentive for students who aren't in extracurricular clubs or sports teams
to participate?

A: Kids are more apt to say no to drugs if they know they can be randomly
tested.

Q: Do you anticipate much opposition to the testing proposal since testing
students has long been a controversial topic and a practice largely opposed
by most Arizona school districts?

A: We know that this is a sensitive topic. It's a new concept, and new
concepts can be scary. But we feel that if it's approached carefully and we
clearly explain to parents what this would involve, that they'll see the
merits to a volunteer random drug-testing program. Only those students
whose parents place them in the random testing pool can be tested and if
they test positive, then the parents are informed, not the police. The
purpose is not to get kids into the judicial system, but to identify those
in need of help so that parents can pursue counseling or other
health-related services.