DRUG TESTS BENEFIT KIDS, PARENTS

Re: School drug testing sounds like a witch hunt, Sept. 24 Times editorial:

The writer claims that random student drug testing "tramples students'
privacy and dignity." I beg to differ. As a drug policy and prevention
expert with more than 20 years' experience, I have seen how drug use
can devastate a community, especially when one loses a child because
of it.

Many schools find great value in using random drug and alcohol testing
as part of their antidrug programs. The goal of drug testing is not to
punish, but rather to deter drug and alcohol use. Drug test results
are kept confidential because federal law prevents them from being
released outside of the school. Test results do not follow the student
once he or she leaves high school (as per the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act). The No Child Left Behind Act specifically
authorizes the expenditure of federal education funds for student drug
testing. So, if the money is there, let's put it to good use.

Athletes and students in extracurricular activities take leadership
roles in the school community and, as role models, should be
drug-free. Student drug testing helps ensure this. More important, it
gives students an "out" or a chance to say no without feeling
pressured. Today, drug testing is a standard procedure when applying
for a job. Certainly, athletes who want to compete at the collegiate
or Olympic level should get used to the idea of drug testing. Students
who know they may be detected are less likely to use drugs or alcohol
and, ultimately, avoid the consequences of addiction.

I have fought for this issue alongside many parents who have lost
their children to drugs. These parents have told me time and time
again, "I never suspected that my child was using drugs. If I had only
known, I could have done something." It kills me every time I hear
that.

I hope you will decide to implement student drug testing in your
community because it is one of the best ways to identify a problem,
and a chance for parents to know and get help before it is too late.

Calvina L. Fay

Executive director

Drug Free America Foundation Inc.

St. Petersburg