ALLEN SCHOOLS TO OFFER TEST FOR DRUGS THIS FALL

Only parents, not district, can request, receive results

ALLEN - Middle and high school students in Allen, whose parents request it,
will be randomly tested for drugs under a new program administered by the
school district.

The program, which starts this fall, will be the first of its kind in the
Dallas-Fort Worth area, officials said. Unlike programs in other districts,
only parents will receive the results. The district will not be notified,
and students who test positive will face no discipline from the district.

Parents must give advance consent and pay for the tests. Students will give
hair samples, which can be used to detect traces of marijuana, cocaine, PCP
and opiates such as heroin within the previous 90 days.

The voluntary drug testing will offer students a way of escaping the peer
pressure to use drugs by giving them a reason to say no, officials said. It
also can allow them to get help if they are using illegal drugs, said
Superintendent Barbara Erwin.

"One child is one too many," to be on drugs, she said.

Dr. Erwin said the program, approved by the school board this week, will
begin with students at Curtis Middle School, Ford Middle School, and Allen
High School. It could be expanded to elementary schools in the future.

Parents may pick up forms at registration or Allen district offices. The
tests will be given once each semester in the 8,200-student district.

Sabina Stern, program coordinator with the Collin County Substance Abuse
Program, said the program is a first in the area.

"Parents have got to try to keep their children safe. This is one way," she
said.

The program was developed after studying the problems of student drug use
for more than a year. Mandatory drug testing raised concerns over legal
challenges, costs, and confidentiality, said Todd Graham, athletic director
and head football coach at Allen High School.

A voluntary program allows the district to play a supportive role and
provide a service to parents, Mr. Graham said.

"It's not a catch-them-and-kick-them-out . . . [program]," he said.

More than 40 school districts nationwide use hair samples to test students
for illegal drugs.

Allen is the only district that will not have access to the results, said
Richard Clay, regional manager for Psychemedics Corp., a Cambridge, Mass.,
company that holds the patent on the hair drug test.

"The responsibility is solely on the parents," he said.

While urine tests generally detect drug use within the previous two or
three days, the hair tests can detect drug use within the previous 90 days.

Each test will cost $45 per semester or $90 for the school year.
Information about the program will be available at school registration and
in school offices.

Students whose parents sign up would be randomly selected to go to the
nurse's office to provide the hair sample. The nurses will be trained to
collect the samples, which will be sent to Psychemedics' lab.

Mr. Clay said that if a student refuses to provide a sample, all the
district can do is inform the parent.

"The schools are there simply to do the collection," he said.

Parents can turn to the district for information about resources in the
schools and the community, said P.J. Holland, director of student advocacy
for the Allen Independent School District.

"We're there to help them and assist them," Ms. Holland said.

In addition to the program, the district has planned a Sept. 22 drug summit
as a follow-up to an event that drew more than 2,500 parents and students
in May.

Sharon Brian, whose daughter will be a junior at Allen High, said that she
was concerned about a mandatory program, but supports the voluntary program
because the emphasis is on prevention and intervention.

"It doesn't do any good to catch them and just throw them out of school,"
Mrs. Brian said.

Diana Philip, regional director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said
she sees no legal issues with the Allen drug testing program.

"It's a family issue, not a school issue," she said.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)