CITY SCHOOLS ADOPT DRUG TESTING

Random drug testing policies were adopted last week by the Board of
Trustees of the Philadelphia Public School District in an effort to
give students in grades seven through 12 a reason to say no to
performance-enhancing and illegal drugs as well as alcohol, school
officials said.

The policies will be outlined in an informational public meeting on
Aug. 11 in the high school cafeteria beginning at 7 p.m. as well as
provided to students when classes resume.

Students involved in extracurricular activities such as sports,
cheerleading and band will be tested randomly as well as students who
school officials suspect might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The board also adopted a policy which would allow parents or guardians
of non-activity students to consent to their child's participation in
the random drug testing program.

Superintendent of Education Britt Dickens said a list of all students
involved in extra-curricular activities along with the names of those
participating in the voluntary testing would be furnished to an
independent testing company which will randomly select 21 students
four times a year for testing.

"All the names will be in one pot and selected at random," Dickens
said.

MEA Drug Testing of Jackson will test the students on the PHS campus
using either urine, salvia or hair samples, alone or in a
combination.

Each student involved in extra-curricular activities will be given a
copy of the drug policy and parents will be asked to sign a form
giving the school permission to test their child should he be selected.

"A parent could opt not to have their child tested," Dickens said, but
the child wouldn't be allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities.

"This is not a gotcha type thing. The purpose is to give the students
a reason to say no when someone offers them an opportunity to use
drugs," he said.

Should a student test positive for drugs, he will be required to
submit to at least one mandatory drug test during a 28-day period at
times determined by the testing laboratory. The student will also be
removed from any extra-curricular activities during that time frame.

If the student tests positive for drugs a second time, he will be
recommended for Alternative School for two nine-week periods and will
be removed from extra-curricular activities for one calendar year.

School officials hope the drug policies will result in a decline in
drug use among students.

"Research supports that in schools with similar policies, drug use
among students goes down," Dickens said. "It's been effective in
getting students to say no and it removes some of the
temptation."

The superintendent applauded the Board of Trustees for implementing
the policies.

"Everyone won't agree but our reason for doing it is in the best
interest of the students. I hope we never catch anybody but if we do,
we'll deal with that and, hopefully, they will learn their lesson and
not let it happen again."

While the PHS drug policies are modeled after policies in Madison and
Rankin counties, school officials sought input from student leaders
and officers who were in favor of it, Dickens said.

Officials have also received positive feedback from parents and staff
members, he said.