DRUG TESTS IN SCHOOL?

A Northland school which uses sniffer dogs to catch student drug
users is now considering the rare move of introducing random drug
testing.

A sniffer dog was taken into school after three students were caught
smoking marijuana at Maungaturoto's Otamatea High School recently.

The dog found one student with marijuana, an unspecified number of
others with marijuana residue and places where the drug had been hidden.

Otamatea High School is promising future random visits from sniffer
dogs, and has now taken the unusual step of asking the students'
parents if they want random drug testing at the school.

Feedback from about 25 parents since the question was posed on Monday
had found all in favour, principal Haydn Hutching said.

Michael Vincent-Tovine, who has a daughter at the school, was all for
the move. "I just hate the stuff. School isn't the place for drugs,"
he said.

Both the Ministry of Education and New Zealand Schools Trustees
Association praised Otamatea High School for seeking parent feedback
before making a decision.

"They have obviously seen drugs as a problem and there's no better
way to try and solve that problem than by bringing the community on
board," said Chris Haines, president of the trustees
association.

Ministry spokesman Vince Cholewa said all schools had the right to
introduce random drug testing as long as it complied with the Bill of
Rights.

Mr Hutching believed drug use at his school was no worse than at any
other, but they wanted to deter students and make a safe environment
for everyone at the school.

"If we get (stoned) kids using things like drop-saws and lathes it's
a huge issue," Mr Hutching said.

Board of Trustees chairman Murray Cullen was also in support, adding
he "would be happy" for his own children to be randomly drug tested.

But the board first wanted to see how parents responded.

"If they're in favour we'll seriously consider it, that's for sure.
We don't want drugs in the school, and we're aware that it doesn't
matter how many rules we put in place, if kids want to sneak it in
they will sneak it in," he said.

Sniffer dogs and random drug testing would present a "random risk
factor for the kids that carry", he said.

It would also allow other students to avoid peer pressure when
offered drugs. "They can say 'no, we've got random drug testing at
school and I might get kicked out'," Mr Hutching said.

Otamatea High School had considered introducing sniffer dogs for a
year and when police were unable to provide one they hired their own,
at their own expense. It had given the school a snapshot of the drug
problem on a particular day.

Mr Cullen had no evidence of drugs other than marijuana at his
school, but said: "I am sure there's other stuff around."

The Otamatea High School students stood down for drug taking had
since returned to school after subsequent tests revealed they were
clean. They would now be monitored.