MANDATORY FOR THOSE IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Dermot Garrett Lancaster New Era It's no longer "Just Say No" at Lancaster
Catholic High School. Now it's "Just Say No" and "Just Take a Drug Test."

In a bold move that may prompt other schools to step up their respective
wars against alcohol, marijuana, heroin and other drugs, Lancaster Catholic
has adopted a mandatory drug testing policy for all students involved in
extracurricular activities. It takes effect this fall.

The initiative, approved by Lancaster Catholic's school board and
Parent-Teacher Association, sets a precedent for county schools, both public
and private.

None of the county's 16 public school districts do random, mandatory drug
testing. Officials at several of the county's largest private schools,
including Lancaster Mennonite High School, Lancaster Christian School, and
Lancaster Country Day School, said they likewise do not routinely test their
students.

Dermot Garrett, Lancaster Catholic's principal, said the school's decision
follows a series of drug-related incidents last spring.

"We have kids who take AP (advanced placement) classes, are in the National
Honor Society, and on a Saturday night, they just don't know how to say no,"
Garrett said.

Starting in September, students involved in activities from wrestling to the
chess club will have their student identification numbers placed in a pool.
Each month, administrators will randomly select 10 percent of them for
testing. The composition of the pool will change as some sports and clubs
change with the season.

Since the school year extends for 10 months, there is a high probability
that nearly every student in the pool will have been tested at least once by
the close of the academic year. Those students involved in activities that
span the entire year, such as National Honor Society and student government,
are likely to be tested more than once.

Approximately 400 students, or 60 percent of the student population at
Lancaster Catholic, are involved in at least one extracurricular activity at
some point in the school year.

Using simple urinalysis kits that cost about $30 each, the school will
conduct testing in the nurse's office and under the supervision of the Dean
of Students.

Urine tests yield results in a matter of seconds. They can detect alcohol
consumed within 24 hours before the test, and traces of marijuana, cocaine
and other drugs used in the prior 30 days.

The tests also can detect "blockers," such as herbal supplements, which are
designed to mask drugs in the system and create a false test result.

Lancaster Catholic will cover the cost of the program _ around $12,600 _ by
taking money out of student activity budgets.

Parents of children not involved in extracurricular activities may also sign
a permission form to enter their children into the drug-testing pool. In
these cases, the parents, not the school, will foot the bill.

A positive test result for drugs or alcohol will set in motion a series of
punitive actions:

The student will immediately lose driving privileges to and from school and
to school-related events for the rest of his or her high school career.

The student will be referred to the student-assistance team (the STAR team),
a group of ten administrators, teachers and nurses who counsel students with
drug problems.

The school will call in parents for a conference.

A professional substance abuse specialist from the Lancaster County Drug and
Alcohol Commission will prepare a treatment plan for the student, which will
vary depending on whether the student has a history of substance abuse.

The student will be assigned a case manager from the STAR team who will meet
weekly with the student and monitor progress in classes.

The minimum treatment will involve students attending a 12-hour LIFESKILLS
program run by The Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Lancaster.

Heavy users who have repeatedly failed their tests are candidates for the
most severe treatment program: A 42-day stay in a drug-and-alcohol
rehabilitation center.

Garrett noted that students testing positive will neither face suspension
nor expulsion, since the school cannot determine if they took the substances
on school grounds and/or sold drugs.

School officials became convinced of a drug problem among their students
last spring, when a handful of students were caught with marijuana on a
school ski trip, Garrett said.

The school had brought along a drug-sniffing dog on the trip, and the
animal's trained nose found the marijuana by sniffing the students' suitcases.

Lancaster Catholic approved the new drug-testing program in May, and Garrett
explained the decision in a letter mailed to parents this week.

In opting to limit the program to those in extra-curricular activities,
Garrett said his school might be deemed as being "overly-Big Brother" if it
began testing everyone, adding that he doesn't want to impose on his
students' "basic, normal right to come to school."

Lancaster Catholic would be well within its legal rights, however, if it
chose to test every student who walked through the school's door.

Currently, Solanco is the only local district to propose urine testing for
students with no prior history of drug abuse.

Solanco's plan, to be voted on by its school board on August 23, specifies
voluntary urine testing. Only those who have signed up for the testing would
be lumped in a pool every month, and administrators would then select
randomly 10 percent of those students for testing.

Both Manheim Central and Hempfield are still investigating the issue of drug
testing.