RANDOM DRUG TESTING PROGRAM ON HOLD

SPARTA -- The testing equipment was already purchased in anticipation
of a September start, but students at Sparta High School won't be
subject to random drug tests until at least October, if at all.

A proposal before the New Jersey State Board of Education could
require all schools with random drug testing programs to use
state-licensed laboratories for every test, which could significantly
increase the cost of the program approved by the Sparta Board of
Education in June.

At a work session meeting last week, the local board decided to hold
off on the program's implementation until the state makes a decision
on the policies, which is expected to come in October.

"We are putting it on hold for the time being," said board member
Jonathan Rush, the chair of the board's curriculum committee, during
Monday's regular meeting. "We are going to wait (on the state's
decision) and see what happens. We'll make a decision on it then."

If the state board approves the policy measure, it could put the
kibosh on Sparta's program, the first ever approved by a public
school district in Sussex County.

But, should the proposal be rejected, as federal drug control
officials are requesting, Sparta school officials say they are ready
to implement the drug tests.

"We're ready to go with it," Superintendent Thomas Morton said before
Monday's meeting. The testing equipment, which mostly consists of
plastic cups for urine tests, was purchased shortly after the board's
approval of the program more than two months ago. Though he could
not provide a specific figure, Morton said the supplies were not costly.

"The most expensive thing is getting the tests done," he
said.

Morton estimated that the cost of the program, as it currently
stands, is about $8 per test. The state board of education's policy
proposal could increase that cost to more than $30 per test.

When the program was first proposed to the district, then-Principal
Richard Lio estimated the annual cost of the program would run
between $4,750 and $5,250, with most of that money dedicated to the
tests and paperwork. Those costs could increase by four or five
times, Morton said.

But there is concern on both state and federal levels that the
increased costs could discourage school districts from adopting
similar programs. Random drug testing programs have received the
support of the Bush administration and other local and national
organizations, some of which are criticizing the state board's
current proposal, said New Jersey School Boards Association spokesman
Michael Yaple.

There are at least 21 school districts in the state that have adopted
random drug testing policies, including Sparta, according to
association records. The number may vary since there is no one place
for schools to report to, but it has been increasing.

"The number has grown slightly in recent years, but it's still a
small percentage of schools in New Jersey," Yaple said. He also said
the association is concerned that the proposal would create a more
difficult and more expensive testing process.

The association itself supports random drug testing and the 2005
legislation that asked the state board of education to regulate the
program. It is also now requesting the state Department of Education
to "address the issue of additional mandated costs," according to
the July edition of the association's on-line newsletter.

At a meeting of the state board last month, Dr. Bertha K. Madras,
deputy director of the Office of Demand Reduction in the Office of
National Drug Control Policy, chastised the proposal for being
"one-size-fits-all."

"The federal program is flexible," Madras said in her testimony.
"With over 500 schools in the federal program, we have observed that
keeping the program flexible, allowing schools and parents to choose
the mode that is most suitable to local needs and adherence to core
requirements, can ensure program effectiveness."

Sparta's approved program is based off of those of area districts
with similar policies. High school students involved with sports,
extracurricular activities, who drive to school or who otherwise
volunteer would have to enter into a testing pool, from which several
students would be randomly selected by assigned numbers each week.
The program would be strictly voluntary in the middle school.

Those students would then provide urine samples tested by the school
nurse. A positive result would then be sent to an outside laboratory
for verification. The state board's proposal would have every test
sent to a lab.

Madras said that "a large majority of students test negative," which
serves as "evidence that testing serves primarily as a deterrent."
The goals of the program are prevention of drug use, by providing
students "a reason to resist peer pressure," and provide early
intervention for students who have started using illegal substances.

Though such policies have been criticized by groups such as the ACLU
and lawsuits from individual or groups of students, the U.S. and
state Supreme Courts have upheld the programs as constitutional. To
obtain federal grants for the testing programs, districts must
demonstrate the support of parents and teachers. Also, Madras said,
results of the test are not disclosed, even to law enforcement, and
results are destroyed when the student graduates.

Sparta school officials have not seen the opposition to the program
many of them expected after its approval. None of the public's
comments Monday night pertained to the policy.