MONEY, DETAILS GOT IN WAY OF DRUG TESTS

Some School Officials Ready To Try Again

More than two years ago, the Orleans Parish School Board approved a broad
drug-testing policy for students that appeared to anticipate Thursday's
U.S. Supreme Court ruling, but administrative problems kept it from being
put into effect.

The program, which would have allowed random tests of students in most
extracurricular activities, not just sports, "fell by the wayside," board
member Jimmy Fahrenholtz said, but he would like to see it revived.

Some Louisiana school districts already test high school athletes for
narcotics, including those in St. Bernard, Jefferson and St. John the
Baptist parishes. However, some officials said lack of money probably will
prevent expanding the programs to test students in other activities.

Money and the advice of its attorney have kept the Plaquemines Parish
school system from conducting random tests on athletes, said Paul Springer,
the school district's director of the program for safe and drug-free
schools. Instead, he said, each athlete and a parent or guardian must sign
an agreement from the Louisiana High School Athletic Association saying
that the student will abstain from using illegal drugs during the school year.

After a 1995 Supreme Court decision allowing routine drug testing for high
school athletes, the association ordered each school to develop a policy on
substance abuse. However, schools are not required to test. The rule lets
school districts decide how and when testing will be done. Fahrenholtz, a
lawyer, said he likes the idea of expanded drug testing.

"Anyone who is involved in the band or dance club or twirlers and
represents the school should be tested if they're going to be taking on
that kind of role-model status," he said. "They should put their money
where their mouth is."

Orleans Parish school administrators plan to bring up the topic to the
School Board and to parents "to see what the community would like us to
do," said Ollie Tyler, the system's deputy superintendent and chief
academic officer.

Jefferson school officials favor increasing the number of students subject
to drug testing, saying they will push for it if voters pass a half-cent
increase in the sales tax July 20.

Civil libertarians opposed the court's decision, which lets school systems
conduct urine tests even if there is no suspicion of wrongdoing. "Drug
testing presumes all students are criminals unless they can prove their
innocence by producing a clean urine sample. What kind of civics lesson is
that?" said Joe Cook, executive director of the American Civil Liberties
Union of Louisiana.

"What's the reason for testing someone to be a member of the chess club or
the stamp club?" said William Rittenberg, a New Orleans lawyer who
successfully opposed random drug testing of elected officials and testing
of all teachers involved in on-the-job accidents.

"I don't think that teaching children to give up their rights is teaching
them citizenship," he said. "This is clearly teaching them that in order to
participate in student activities, they have to give up their right to
privacy."