LOCAL SCHOOLS WILL LET YOU KNOW IF YOUR KIDS CAN'T JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS

Last year, Ouachita Parish tested more than 40,000 students. Monroe City
tested more than 4,000. At least one private school tests its teachers,
too. Officials are serious about curbing a problem. Posted on November 10,
2002 When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year high school
students who are not athletes could be subjected to drug testing, it opened
a new door across the country.

The 5-4 ruling said schools' interests in ridding their campuses of drugs
outweighed students' right to privacy. It meant tests could be administered
to members of bands, drill teams or chess teams.

Locally, the decision reaffirmed the practices of many schools and opened
the possibility of expanded testing for others.

The Ouachita Parish School System is in its fourth year of a comprehensive
testing program. Ouachita tests all students in grades 7-12 who participate
in designated extracurricular groups - band, choir, cheerleaders,
dance-drill team, spirit groups and athletics.

"To the best of my knowledge, the Ouachita Parish Schools drug testing plan
is unique, certainly to Louisiana,' said Bill Colvin, supervisor of
Ouachita's Safe Drug Free School Program.

Monroe City Schools uses random testing of student-athletes only. St.
Frederick High School and Ouachita Christian School in Monroe use random
testing of all students. The OCS program also includes teachers.

Drug testing varies by school systems because of the lack of specific
requirements for programs. The only mandate in Louisiana comes from the
Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Assistant Commissioner B.J.
Guzzardo said the LHSAA began in 1999 requiring schools to have a
drug-testing program, but the program format was left up to each school or
its system.

Drugs commonly screened for are opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana,
phencyclidines and benzodiazepines.

Julian Gray, assistant superintendent for Monroe City Schools, said his
system's program developed out of the LHSAA requirement.

"What we do here is mostly at the beginning of the year,' Gray said. "We
ask for a list of student-athletes then we randomly check."

The Monroe City Schools program tests approximately 15 students per month
per high school, or about 405 students per school year.

Neville football athletics director and football coach Mickey McCarty said
drug testing used in Monroe schools is accepted as a positive program.

"About once every week or two weeks, they bring over a list and do random
testing,' McCarty said. "I personally think it's a good system in place,
and the school puts an emphasis on it.'

Even with the legal clearance from the Supreme Court, Gray said Monroe City
Schools has not felt the need to expand drug testing to more students.

"Probably the reason we haven't is because we haven't had an incident with
a cheerleader or dance girl or some other student,' he said.

Testing in the Ouachita system reaches a lot of students. Colvin said 4,400
students were tested last year at an approximate cost of $40,000.

The first year, Ouachita tested athletes only.

"The second year, we began to test designated extracurricular activities
because these students voluntarily choose to represent the schools,' Colvin
said.

Colvin said the testing program was well received after a little
uncertainty early on.

"Some of the parents had fear of the unknown,' he said. "They wanted to be
sure everything was done in a comfortable manner and with no invasion of
privacy.'

Colvin said the drug-testing program also reaps strong results. He said
last year only 4/10th of 1 percent of the tests came back positive.

Ouachita tests every student who participates in designated activities but
also has a random option. Students whose parents give permission may be
tested randomly during the year.

West Monroe High School band director Myron Turner said the system's use of
drug testing beyond student-athletes has gone smoothly.

"It was a little different, but we

didn't really experience any resistance,' Turner said. "It's a bit of an
inconvenience, but it's very important.'

OCS follows what athletics director Micah Harper terms a non-discriminatory
testing policy because it includes all students and faculty.

"We draw a number, and if the number matches your name, then you are
tested,' Harper said.

Harper said the number of people varies. It could be five a month or more.
He also said if someone within a group is suspected of drug use, the entire
group might be tested.

In support of the Supreme Court's decision in favor of drug testing
students in extracurricular activities besides athletics, Justice Clarence
Thomas wrote, "We find that testing students who participate in
extracurricular activities is a reasonably effective means of addressing
the school district's immediate concerns in preventing, deterring and
detecting drug use.'

Dope fiends

Following are procedures for dealing with a student or student-athlete in
the Monroe City or Ouachita Parish school systems who tests positive for drugs.

Monroe City

- - Student-athlete referred for chemical assessment and attends mandatory
drug education course (student or parent assumes all costs).

- - Parents notified of drug violation through parent conference.

- - First positive test does not result in ineligibility, but student will be
tested at dated intervals during the school year.

- - A second positive test for a student-athlete results in ineligibility for
that school year.

Ouachita Parish

- - Student testing positive is suspended from extracurricular activity until
a positive test is obtained.

- - With a first offense, parents are notified in writing and must have a
conference with the principal, the student must have a minimum of eight
hours of drug counseling at the parents' expense, and the student will be
retested during the school year.

- - With a second offense, the student is suspended from the extracurricular
activity for the remainder of the season, the student is suspended for
three days, requires eight additional hours of drug counseling at parent's
expense and a retest is required.

- - With a third offense, the student is expelled from school for the
remainder of the year. The student must present proof of a negative test by
a Ouachita Parish School Board-approved agency before readmission.