SCHOOLS STILL NEED AND ANSWER TO DRUG TESTING DILEMNA

Dear Editor, It appears to be a universal principle that the purpose
of any county school system is to provide an education to all the
children within the county. Further, it seems that most school
systems have adopted the practice of maintaining a drug-free environment.

The easiest way to do this is to suspend or expel any student using
or possessing illicit drugs or alcohol while on school property or
while involved in school activities. However, in doing this, a school
system ceases to educate its substance-abusing children.

Camden County school administrators have shown determination and
innovation in their recent proposal to address substance abuse among
their students. It is a treatment approach that also provides
consequences to those students involved with alcohol and drugs while
continuing to educate them.

The proposal seems to say: (1) We want to fulfill our dual
commitments to educating our students and maintaining drug-free
schools; (2) We recognize the need for treatment in addressing the
very complex problem of substance abuse; (3) We recognize that a
major factor in addressing substance abuse is to provide appropriate
consequences for those who fail to engage in the treatment process;
(4) When we address any student issue, it is most effective when we
include the parents; (5) In suspending or expelling substance-abusing
students, we only move the problem from the school to the community
where solutions are limited and tend to focus on criminality.

I worked in the criminal justice system in two states for 26 years. I
was employed in juvenile court both as a clinician and in probation.
The primary factor in all cases (delinquencies, status offenses and
dependencies) was substance abuse. However, the very nature of the
court system limits its capacity to fully address this problem.

The Camden County school administrators are to be commended for their
efforts in proposing a comprehensive program to address the serious
and complex problem of adolescent substance abuse -- and still
fulfill their primary obligation to educate all their students.

Susan E. Kenyon

St. Marys