TUSCALOOSA ACADEMY TO REQUIRE DRUG TESTS

TUSCALOOSA | Drug testing will be mandatory for Tuscaloosa Academy
students, faculty and staff beginning with the 2005-06 school year.

The new policy, which will require strands of hair to be tested for
evidence of drug use, was announced to parents in a letter dated May 26.

George Elder, who became headmaster at Tuscaloosa Academy on April 1, first
studied mandatory testing as a preventive measure during his tenure at
Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tenn. He broached the idea in April
during his first meeting with Tuscaloosa Academy's board of trustees.

Elder said there had been discussion of drug testing at the school and that
the possibility was met with strong support.

The analysis of hair was chosen because it is non-invasive, indicates drug
usage over a 90-day period and samples are easy to transport. With
urinalysis, evidence of illicit drug use can only be detected during a
two-or three-day period.

Elder said that to analyze hair for drug use, a sample of 50-60 strands of
hair is cut from the crown of a person's head. Elder, who was tested in a
demonstration at Lausanne, said the procedure is painless and that the
missing hair is not noticeable.

If an individual does not have enough hair on his head, a sample can be
collected from leg hair, arm hair or underarm hair. The school nurse and
administration will be trained to collect samples and send them to the lab,
he said.

Elder said results from the tests, which will look for evidence of use of
illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs, will be returned to the
school. Positive test results would be followed by a conference between
administrators and student's parents.

Students testing positive will be referred to counseling and subject to
another drug testing at a later date. A second positive result will bring
immediate dismissal from school.

Tuscaloosa lawyer Joel Sogol said he does not see a legal problem with
Tuscaloosa Academy's new policy.

"If you choose to send your child to a school that has drug testing, that's
a choice you make," Sogol said. "Private schools aren't subject to the same
rules and regulations that public schools are."

But contamination from being near drug use is a possible issue, according
to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In April
2004, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed including head
hair in drug-testing programs for federal agencies. A decision has not been
reached.

Tuscaloosa Academy's revised policy closely resembles those of St. Paul's
Episcopal School in Mobile and Bayside Academy in Daphne. St. Paul's
adopted mandatory drug testing three years ago.

"It has taken the issue of drugs and drug use. out of our school," said Pat
Taylor, principal at St. Paul's. "It's a great preventive measure for the
children, and for those that are using, it's a great way of identifying
those children and helping [them]."

All Tuscaloosa Academy students, faculty and staff will be tested at the
beginning of the school year, with random tests throughout the year, Elder
said.

Elder said he hopes to schedule an assembly so the student body can see
him, upper school director Mike Notaro and a student leader be tested.

Elder said the cost of the initial testing and random tests would be about
$13,000 to $15,000. Anyone who tests positive would have to pay for a
follow-up test.

Elder said he has not received much feedback from parents because the
policy was mailed to parents over Memorial Day weekend. However, he said
what reaction he has heard is positive.

Jonathan Pridgen, who will be a sophomore at Tuscaloosa Academy in the
fall, said he was glad to hear about the policy.

"T.A. kind of has a reputation of being into drugs, which isn't necessarily
true," Pridgen said. "People that are into drugs, it might help them quit
and clean up the school's reputation a little bit."

Patsy Emens, mother of rising senior Catherine, said the success of similar
policies at other schools has given her confidence.

"I think one of the best things is for kids that might prefer to say no
when there's pressure put on them, it will give them a way out," Emens said.