RANDOM DRUG TESTS NOT WIDELY EMBRACED

Evan Addams doesn't hesitate to comply when he is pulled out of
class for random drug testing at Seneca Valley High School.

"I know a lot of kids who stop doing drugs so they can play a sport
or do an activity, so I would call the program a success," Addams,
18, of Cranberry, said.

President Bush has proposed increasing spending by 50 percent to $15
million on high schools' random drug-testing programs, like the one
at Seneca Valley. The goal is to help more schools pay for the programs.

The Bush administration touts testing as a way to curb drug use and
to prepare students for the workforce.

At least four area school districts have some form of drug testing
- -- Seneca Valley and Plum test students randomly, and North Hills
and Carlynton test on suspicion of drug or alcohol use.

Some question the effectiveness of random drug testing, however.

A 2003 study in the Journal of Health, which interviewed 76,000
students grades eight, 10 and 12, said random testing "may not
provide a panacea for reducing drug use that some had hoped."

Franklin Regional School District in Westmoreland County suspended
testing of student athletes about three years ago because of
questions about its legality, Athletic Director Ron Suvak said.

Suvak said he supports anything that keeps students away from
illicit substances, but "we can't pick and choose the rules we follow."

Seneca Valley officials, though, said they believe their random
drug-testing program, started in 2002, yields results.

Students who drive to school, play sports or participate in
extracurricular activities are tested in the fall and randomly
throughout the year. The number of positive tests has steadily
fallen, said district spokeswoman Linda Andreassi.

In the 2003-04 school year, 2,222 Seneca Valley students were
tested, of whom 36 tested positive. In the 2004-05 school year, just
23 of 2,482 students tested positive.

Andreassi attributes the drop to students realizing "we mean business."

There are no academic consequences for a student who tests positive.
Privileges, such as playing on a team or having a parking pass, are
revoked for a time until the third offense, when such privileges are
taken away.

"This is not a gotcha policy," Andreassi said."It's about getting
kids the help they need."

Plum Area School District last year started a random drug-testing program.

District parents can enroll their children for the testing in grades
seven through 12. Students are selected randomly, and results are
shared only with parents.

Like Seneca Valley, there are no academic consequences for a
positive test for Plum students. Parents are allowed to handle the
situation and, if necessary, any treatment.

Lois Hill, of Plum, said she didn't hesitate to sign three of her
four children up for the program; a fourth child isn't old enough yet.

"It takes the pressure off the child," Hill said. "(If they're
offered something) they can say: 'I can't do it because my mother's
putting me in this program.' Any parent can be fooled."