IN DANGER OF GOING TOO FAR

At Junior G-man school, Corey Duber must have earned straight A's.

The former SBI agent, who came out of retirement to run the Wake County
school system's security operation, has tackled the job with a passion that
is both comforting and disconcerting.

Over the past four years under Duber's watch, we have seen the schools
blossom with security cameras and on-site security officers. We have seen a
dramatic shift toward zero tolerance and tougher penalties.

Now Duber has what he refers to as just another tool in his school security
toolbox.

It's a test that uses litmus paper and special sprays to detect even
microscopic amounts of drugs on a student's skin, clothing or bookbag. The
technology was first used by the U.S. Coast Guard. Now Congress is funding
a pilot study to see whether it has an application in schools. Wake County
was chosen for the pilot, Duber said, because of its growing national
reputation for security on campuses.

Here's the ideal situation for the test:

A teenager arrives at school, red-eyed, reeking of marijuana. He is stopped
on the way in, given a litmus paper to rub between his hands and, perhaps,
over his bookbag or clothing. The paper is sprayed with the
cannabis-detection spray. (There are different cans for heroin,
methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy.)

If the litmus paper turns brown, school officials will have proof of drug
use. The police won't be called, but the student could be suspended
immediately. If the paper comes up clean, the kid will be allowed to go to
class, and other "detective work" will be done, Duber said.

I asked Duber about other possible reasons for the drug traces. The school
bus, the study partner, the car pool. Couldn't the tests be misused?

Trust us, Duber replied. He vows the schools would only use the tests if
there were sufficient cause. When I noted that sufficient cause is a
subjective matter, Duber said parental outrage is a great check on that. By
way of additional reassurance, Duber noted that under current rules, he
already can search a kid, a bookbag or a locker, as he sees fit.

"When I first came here from law enforcement, I would stop and say, 'Hey,
we need a search warrant,' " Duber said. "Then I realized (big smile), no,
we don't."

As far as tools go, the litmus paper is more a way to make sure that kids
are getting a fair shake, Duber explained. It's proof.

And, contrary to earlier reports, it is not a done deal, either. The kits
will arrive in October, but Duber said it will take months to train school
officials. And implementation is contingent on the support of the Wake
County school board. Not that board members will balk. This is anti-drug.
And it's free. Magic words.

But as we add the new tool to our school security toolbox, let's keep an
eye on that larger picture. The parents may want it; the courts have
allowed it. But in civics class, when we are teaching kids about their
rights as Americans, I hope they realize those rights are mostly an
abstraction until they turn 18.