FOCUS: STUDENT DRUG TESTING

Stoughton Considers A Touchy Subject

Supporters of required random testing see it as a deterrent, but some
students think it would be unfair.

STOUGHTON -- The hallways of Stoughton High School look like most any high
school. Students on the verge of adulthood lope from classroom to classroom,
talking about their next test, their after-school job or their prospects for
a weekend date.

Then there is the occasional hangover to worry about.

"There are kids who do other (drugs), but alcohol ... is a lot more common,"
said Tonya Smith, editor of the high school's award-winning Norse Star
newspaper. "Drinking is the huge problem."

Stoughton may soon find out just how big a problem it is. The district is
discussing whether it should require many of its high school students to
undergo random drug testing. The district will likely decide the matter
sometime this school year.

The test, if implemented, would likely test for drugs such as marijuana,
according to school officials. It could also test for substances such as
alcohol and nicotine. Students in athletics, as well as any other students
in an extra-curricular activity, could be subject to drug testing.

Only a handful of districts in Wisconsin drug-test their students, according
to officials from the state Department of Public Instruction. Deerfield is
the only district in Dane County with a drug-testing program. Janesville and
Franklin in suburban Milwaukee also have programs, according to Steve
Fernan, a consultant with DPI.

"It's not real widespread, but we suspect more will do it," he said. The
impetus behind Stoughton's move toward drug testing came from a belief that
the school's athletic code -- a ban on alcohol, drug and tobacco use by
student-athletes -- was widely ignored, according to Marge Stokstad, a
Stoughton School Board member who lobbied for the study. Students involved
in activities besides athletics also agree to abide by a similar code.

"I've had parents come to me and say, 'It's a huge problem in Stoughton,' "
Stokstad said. "But it's a real hard thing to track down."

The Norse Star devoted a recent issue to the debate over drug testing,
according to Smith. The newspaper has also chronicled student abuse of the
athletic code.

Many students view the drug-testing measure as misguided, in part because
those involved in sports and other extra-curricular activities tend not to
use drugs and alcohol as much as other students, Smith said.

"Most kids don't like it," Smith said. "It seems really stupid to them. By
going after athletes ... you're not really going after the population that's
using."

Deerfield began its program this past spring, testing 33 of the 230 students
who attend the high school, according to Barb Noll, an assistant
superintendent. The district at random chooses four students every other
week to test. Each test costs about $33, and the district budgets about
$5,000 annually for its drug-testing program, she said.

"We haven't had any major complaints," she said. "The kids seem to have
adjusted to it. Kids aren't always going to be thrilled about this ... but
they've been cooperative."

A few students have tested positive for nicotine, she said. That has helped
the district reinforce its anti-smoking efforts, she said. Noll also
emphasized the district's testing program is one part of an overall strategy
aimed at preventing drug, alcohol and tobacco use.

But its biggest success has been to make drug use a smaller part of hallway
talk among students, Noll said.

"There is less talk about it -- less bragging about it," she said.

Still, questions remain about how to implement a drug-testing program in
Stoughton. For starters, the high school has more than 1,000 students, and
well over half of them are involved in some kind of extra-curricular
activity, said Superintendent Myron Palomba. That means any widespread
drug-testing program will likely be costly for the district, he said.

In addition, Palomba wondered whether a test could effectively screen for
alcohol use, the most commonly abused substance.

"The drug of choice is alcohol and I don't believe Stoughton is any
different than any other school district in Wisconsin," he said. "I'm
skeptical that a random drug-testing program would have a big impact on
student alcohol use. ... You're not going to screen on Monday for something
that happened on Saturday."

But Stokstad said a drug-testing program could deter students from using
banned substances and also reduce the peer pressure that students often
encounter to use drugs and alcohol.

"The pros and cons -- there are a lot of each side," she said. "We had hoped
it would be a deterrent; that's the main goal.

"This would be support for our students."