SCHOOLS LAUD DRUG TESTING

Educators: Volunteer Test Serves As a Deterrent for Drug Use Among Teens

Whether they play the saxophone or play football, students have to
play by a new rule at many schools: They will be subjected to drug
tests as the price for participating in extracurricular activities.

In April, the Diamond School District approved a policy requiring
students to undergo drug testing beginning this school year.

Joplin, too, is expanding its program. Previously, the district had a
voluntary program in place for athletes only, said Steve Doerr,
assistant superintendent. This year, it is testing students involved
in all activities. Doerr said 75 percent of students are
participating.

It is too early to know what those two schools are finding with their
new policies, but other district officials say they are not seeing
widespread evidence of a problem.

In fact, a survey of schools in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma that
test students for drugs found that only 1 to 2 percent of tests on
average turn up positive.

Webb City The Webb City School District recently joined several others
that now test all pupils involved in school activities. That includes
band, choir, speech and debate, school plays and academic clubs as
well as sports. Randy Richardson, Webb City assistant high-school
principal and district athletic director, said of the 255 drug tests
done in the first year, five tests were confirmed positive.

"If we have five kids test positive, we have a drug problem,"
Richardson said. "The number we want is zero."

Richardson said this year, of the 1,053 students in grades 9 to 12,
916 have signed up to be in the testing pool. That's nearly 87
percent. He said parents also must sign the form to participate in the
testing pool. "We had a lot of parents who were glad we implemented
it," Richardson said. "It really supports what parents are trying to
do, also." Richardson and all school officials interviewed regarding
the policies said their purpose is not to catch pupils using drugs,
but to give them a reason to avoid them.

"It gives kids a reason to keep face and not to be pressured to do
anything," Richardson said.

He also said he wouldn't reveal the drugs for which students tested
positive, but he said in talking with people in the community, the
most commonly abused drug among students is marijuana.

Richardson said the cost of the tests in the first year came to
$3,825. Most districts said punishments involve suspension from
activities but have no effect on school attendance or grades. Pupils
who test positive are required to continue to participate in practices
but cannot compete. In some districts, the duration of the suspension
may be reduced if the pupil receives treatment.

Carthage The Carthage School District has two years of experience
testing students for drugs, said Andy Youngworth, district activities
director. The district tested about 200 students each year in grades
10 through 12. No students tested positive the first year. One tested
positive last year. "It would appear to be that it is effective, just
based on the numbers," Youngworth said. "Does that mean the problem is
cured? No. I think this is motivator enough for most kids to abstain
from the five drugs that we test for." Those drugs are marijuana,
amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine and opiates. Youngworth said
570 high-school students are participating out of 816 enrolled at the
high school, or nearly 70 percent.

"It's just another opportunity to keep kids from being involved in
behavior that can harm them," Youngworth said.

Joplin In Joplin, Doerr, assistant superintendent, said the district
is testing about 20 randomly selected students per week. The cost is
$13 per test. He said the district has budgeted $7,000 for the
program. Miami, Okla.

The Miami, Okla., School District has tested students in grades seven
through 12 who are involved in activities since 1999. Superintendent
Bill Stevens said about 300 tests are done each year. He said last
school year that two tests were confirmed positive. He did not have
the number available for the previous year.

"We think it's been a deterrent and that's the reason for it," Stevens
said. "It's been in effect long enough, it's really accepted by the
students and the community."

The cost to the district is $12 a test, or around $3,600 annually.
"When you weigh benefit versus cost, everybody has an opinion, but I
think it's made a difference with the kids," Stevens said. Southeast
Kansas Every school district in Cherokee County, Kan., has the policy
in place. In Galena, four students tested positive for drugs last
school year and three tested positive the previous year.
Superintendent Brian Smith said 215 tests were conducted each year and
only a few students didn't participate. There were four positive tests
last school year and two confirmed positives the previous school year
in Riverton, said Todd Berry, high school principal. Baxter Springs
had three positive tests last year and five positives the previous
year, said Jamie Carlisle, high school principal. He said 97 percent
of pupils in grades seven through 12 signed up for the testing. School
officials in each of the Cherokee County districts also said they
thought the low numbers of positive test results indicated the program
was a deterrent. Neosho experience But while many schools are adding
or expanding drug tests, Neosho has gone in the opposite direction.
Darren Cook, assistant high-school principal, said the district had a
voluntary program in place but officials decided it was a waste of
money.

"We were testing kids we knew weren't taking drugs," Cook said. Of the
districts contacted that have a drug-testing policy in place for all
students involved in activities, only officials in Carl Junction
declined to reveal the number of positive tests over the past two
years, despite the fact that revealing the numbers does nothing to
reveal the identities of the students. Superintendent Phil Cook said
revealing the number of students who tested positive goes against the
program's philosophy.

"This isn't designed to catch kids, it's to help kids," Cook said.
Cook initially said he didn't know how many students had tested
positive, but later added "It's a very low number."

Around 200 pupils in grades seven through 12 are tested each year,
said athletic director Mike Larson.

Cook also said the program costs around $4,000 or $5,000 each year and
is worth the cost.