BLAIR OKAYS SCHOOL DRUG TESTING

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sunday that British schools will
be given the power to carry out random drug testing on students. In an
interview with the News of the World newspaper, Blair said school
principals will have the right to either offer treatment to children caught
by the tests, expel them or report them to police. The government had
disclosed earlier this year that it was looking at new guidelines on drugs
in schools, but Blair's comments were the first sign they would extend to
random testing. The controversial plans were welcomed by the National
Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), but were condemned by opposition MPs
and civil-liberty campaigners.