TRIAL SET ON STUDENT DRUG TESTS

Flint - Saying he was fascinated by constitutional issues related to a
school drug-testing policy, a judge decided Monday a lawsuit challenging
the policy should go to trial.

"I remember reading about that when it came out in the newspaper and
thinking, 'That's going to be a good one - I wonder which judge is going to
draw that one,' " said Genesee Circuit Judge Geoffrey L. Neithercut.

Micah White, then a student at Grand Blanc High School, sued the school
district after he was told he couldn't join the wrestling team without
taking a drug test.

The trial was set for Dec. 18.

White, 19, now a student at Swarthmore College, said outside the courtroom
he's confident he will prevail. "It's an important case that hasn't been
resolved," he said.

Grand Blanc is believed to be the only school district in the state that
randomly tests student-athletes, said attorneys on both sides.

"We look forward to the trial to show that suspicionless drug-testing is
unconstitutional and an ineffective means of addressing any drug problems
that may exist at Grand Blanc High School," said Michael Steinberg, legal
director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, which is
backing White.

School attorneys argued that any infringement on student rights is
reasonable, given the seriousness of drug and alcohol abuse.

"What we've got at our school district is a cancer - a cancer of drug use
by students, a cancer of drug use by student-athletes," said school
attorney Joseph Urban.

Gary Collins, another school attorney, said three athletes have tested
positive for drugs since random testing began in December 1998. He said
that's evidence the policy is preventing students from using drugs.