SCHOOL DRUG-TESTING PROPOSAL A WITCH HUNT

Concerning the present assault upon the constitutional rights of St. Johns
County's school students by mandating uniforms, name tags and ``necessary''
drug testing - school systems do not create safe and healthy environments
in which to work and learn through rigid regimentation and dictatorial
control. Those environments are fostered by many factors, not the least of
which are openness, honesty, mutual trust and respect.

Where is this mutual trust and respect for the school children in this
community's ``Character Counts'' program, or is it just another meaningless
``don't do as I do, do as I say'' exercise?

We should ask former School Board Chairman Tommy Allen that if uniforms,
name tags and mandatory drug testing in schools is not Orwellian ``big
brotherism.'' What is? In his November 14 St. Augustine Record article Mr.
Allen attempts the faulty logic of citing unrelated statistics, facts, and
figures to justify solution for an undefined problem.

Is there or isn't there a drug problem at Nease High School or in the St.
Johns County school system?

If there is it must be made public, brought out into the open and addressed
by the entire community - morally, legally and in every other aspect. The
School Board alone cannot correct such a situation.

If, because of some incidents of drug use, Mr. Allen is merely convinced
that there is a problem and his interpolated data suggests that one out of
every 60 students will test positive for drugs what action is justified?

Do we destroy the rights of 59 students to identify one culprit?

One out of 60 adds up to 100 out of 6000. Do we drug test 5900 innocent
students in search of 100 drug users.

Such reckless action paints every student in St. Johns County with the same
broad brush of suspicion and guilt.

This is a witch hunt and is contrary to every concept of probable cause,
due process, and presumed innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt that our constitutional rights are based upon.

There are no shortcuts within the law and we must adhere to the strict
letter of the law. Infractions of the law must be dealt with through the
due process of the law. Irrefutable evidence that any student under the
influence or in possession of drugs on school property must be addressed by
the legal system.

Only if and when a student is found guilty by legal authority is the school
district free to suspend or expel the individual or take other measures.

The limits to any actions that affect constitutional guarantees must remain
unequivocally defined between educational and legal jurisdictions to
prevent those guarantees from becoming corrupted and destroyed.

Mr. Allen implies that infringing upon the constitutional rights of local
students is required to prevent incidents such as the school shootings in
Colorado, Kentucky and Mississippi. The perpetrators of those tragedies
were severely disturbed individuals who by their own histories and
admissions were alienated and outcast in the very schools which were
supposed to educate and nurture them. Uniforms, name tags and drug tests
will not prevent such occurrences. A better remedy is to ask how many truly
qualified, sincerely motivated and effectively employed counselors are on
our school system's staff?

How many qualified teachers, who are honestly interested in and dedicated
to their students and profession, and totally involved in the operation of
the system can be found in the county schools?

Are these teachers and counselors adequately compensated - paid to the
highest standards of surrounding communities and the state in general - so
that the very best qualified will readily apply for positions in this
district?

How effective is the school administration in utilizing every resource
toward the ultimate goal of providing every child in the system with the
maximum educational opportunity? Is this a state of the art school system
which every student, teacher, parent and county resident can point with pride?

A positive response to these questions is a more rational approach to
preventing another Littleton or Paducah or Pearl than uniforms, name tags,
drug tests and inflexible dictatorial control.

Every parent, taxpayer, and voter in St. Johns County should know the
answers to those questions.

These are your children and grandchildren - it's your school system and
your school board.

It is everyone's rights and freedoms - and the nation's future - which are
endangered. Remain ignorant, apathetic and uninvolved and the county's
school children are not the only losers - we all are.