ARCHBISHOP SUPPORTS DRUG TESTING

The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev Dr Harry Goodhew, yesterday
backed drug testing at schools, increasing the impetus for its introduction
at more than 30 Anglican schools in the diocese.

Dr Goodhew said he backed the year-long trial of drug testing which has
just begun at St Andrew's Cathedral School. The policy provides that a
student caught with drugs can remain at the school if he or she and the
parents agree to a series of measures including random drug tests,
administered by the parents.

Dr Goodhew said testing for drugs in schools was a compassionate approach.

"Anything that can be done to dissuade youngsters from trying [drugs] and
support the general effort to help kids say no, it is worth doing. If the
home and school gives strong messages that it is not desirable there's more
chance to help stave it off."

Dr Goodhew indicated that if the trial at St Andrew's, which he raised at a
meeting of heads of Anglican schools in May, was successful, "a number of
schools will give it serious consideration".

"I think people are looking to see how it goes ... because it is such a
concern in the schools to do whatever they can to help kids through this
stage."

The archbishop's comments come as the principal of another Anglican school,
SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Ms Jenny Allum, indicated she would be prepared to use
drug testing if the need arose.

Ms Allum said: "In the end, I think an educator's job is to try to take the
most relevant, helpful strategies to solve the particular problem. So in
that sense I would regard it as something I would consider ... it's a
discipline matter as much as a health and pastoral matter."

It is understood several other schools in Sydney administer the tests,
including The King's School, Parramatta.

Both of the influential figures in Anglican education, the head of the
Anglican Schools Corporation, Dr Laurie Scandrett, and the head of the
Anglican Education Commission, Dr Lindsay Stoddart, support the scheme.

Some schools were still taking a hard line, he said, but "schools who are
taking a more compassionate approach will be better able to serve our
communities. Drugs are a problem, they are not going to go away."

There are 32 Anglican schools in the Sydney diocese, and 48 in NSW.