POLICY TO GET TRYOUT AT TWO N.O. SCHOOLS

After working with city officials over the past 45 days, the Orleans Parish
School Board has put together a comprehensive drug-prevention pilot program
for two high schools that already support testing.

If approved by the city's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council next month,
the voluntary program, dubbed "Healthy Students," will be implemented this
spring at Frederick Douglass and George Washington Carver senior high
schools. About 1,850 students attend those schools.

The pilot involves getting as many parents as possible to agree to testing
their children for drug use, either through urine testing at the school or
by using a home kit, then getting appropriate treatment for students who
test positive. The city would run public awareness campaigns in communities
near the two schools to make parents aware of their options, said Thelma
French, the mayor's executive assistant for federal and state programs.

In addition, the program stresses prevention by increasing the number of
cultural, artistic, athletic and enrichment opportunities at the schools,
French said. Besides soliciting mentors for students and increasing
vocational-skills training, the city would put a Job Corps representative
at the schools, she said.

Another section of the plan deals with making sure that students who test
positive and seek treatment are able to re-enter schools without hassles.
Some principals have made this difficult for students in the past, French said.

The program will require a team of 13 full- and part-time people, including
two certified substance abuse counselors, at each site. Some of the
positions would be filled by employees already working for the city and
School Board, others would be new hires, French said. Evaluations will be
done quarterly to tweak the program and see whether it will work in other
schools.

The School Board and city asked the council for $360,000, primarily for the
new personnel. Although the program is more expensive, the costs can be
covered by redirecting and focusing resources that are already available,
French said. For example, intervention services can be conducted by the
Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, St. Mark's Community Center, Covenant
House and other community groups.

Douglass conducted voluntary hair analysis on students last year, but ran
into problems when students who used drugs refused to seek treatment.
Although parents at Carver asked for a similar program this year, drug
testing at both schools was put on hold until the School Board developed a
consistent policy on disciplining students who test positive.

Board member Gail Glapion said school system officials chose the voluntary
approach because they have more success with widespread changes such as
instituting school uniforms or renaming a building when parents decide what
to do.

In a separate presentation, Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick
delivered yet another impassioned plea for mandatory drug testing for as
many students as possible through hair analysis. But board member Ellenese
Brooks-Simms said that hair testing is controversial and could leave the
school system open to lawsuits.

In other business, the council plans to ask the Legislature to use federal
block grants to develop more drug-treatment programs for juveniles in the
city. Mayor Marc Morial made the suggestion after substance abuse
counselors said the city lacked detox centers for adolescents coming off
heroin.

Chris Gray can be reached at (504) 826-3378 or cgray@timespicayune.com.