Many oppose drug testing of students

by Katherine Long Seattle Times Eastside bureau

BOTHELL Questioning the medical ethics, constitutionality, cost and need
for random drug testing, dozens of parents urged the Northshore School
District last night not to become the fifth district in the state to impose
the policy on highschool athletes.

Drug testing is being weighed by a Northshore School Board task force,
which will make a preliminary report to the board Nov. 12.

"This is totally the wrong message to send to kids," said Frank Dellino, a
counselor and coach at Northshore's Skyview Junior High, who called for the
district's money to be spent on drugabuse prevention. "This does not
reflect the best of what we know to prevent kids from using drugs."

"We have to stop the continual erosion of our rights," added parent Tom
Little.

District officials have been careful to describe drug testing as only an
idea, not even a proposal. But last night, they gave evidence of why they
think drug testing might be a help: In a student poll, nearly half of
Northshore juniorhigh and highschool students said drugs and alcohol were
a serious problem. Twentyeight percent of juniorhigh students and 35
percent of highschool students said they had used drugs or alcohol.

Those figures dovetail with similar national studies that report recent
increases in the number of students who have tried drugs or alcohol,
particularly in the youngest grades.

District officials think that drug testing could give students an excuse
not to participate in drug use.

A 1995 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for schools to
test athletes for drug use. But the American Civil Liberties Union of
Washington believes the state Constitution gives residents an additional
layer of protection from random searches and has threatened to sue the
district if drug testing is approved.

Random drug tests are already given in four other state school districts
Granite Falls in Snohomish County, Taholah in Grays Harbor County, Lewis &
Clark in Spokane and BurlingtonEdison in Skagit County but no one in
those districts has challenged the constitutionality of the law, said Gary
Sheehan, spokesman of the state ACLU.

Sheehan says Northshore parents have called the ACLU and offered to be
plaintiffs. And two parents at last night's meeting threatened to sue the
district if drug testing begins.

Many Northshore parents who spoke against the proposal conceded that their
own children weren't opposed to the idea.

Some parents questioned whether a school could keep the results of drug
tests private. If a drug policy were implemented, the district would
suspend athletes who tested positive from sports only.

Although few parents spoke in favor of drug testing, instant electronic
polling done during the meeting showed that about half the 100 parents who
participated thought drug testing could deter drug use.

"I'm all for it," said parent Sandy Lawrence, one of the few people who
spoke up in favor of drug testing. "I think we have to start somewhere."

"I'm really concerned about what we're delivering tonight in terms of a
message," said drugtesting proponent David Ashbaugh, who said parents who
opposed it were offering to hide students with a drug problem "behind laws,
behind slogans, even behind yourselves."

Students, he said, "ought to make good choices, and there ought to be
consequences for their behavior."

But several others argued that a coach who knows his players is able to
spot drug abuse without resorting to a drug test. And many said they
wouldn't support drug testing unless it were widened to include all
students and teachers.

Bothell High School student Peter Mongillo said drug testing ought to
include parents as well as students.