COUNTY COUNCIL REJECTS RANDOM DRUG TESTING THROUGHOUT COPELAND SCHOOLS

COPELAND'S schools will NOT be urged to carry out random drugs tests
on pupils, despite the availability of a "revolutionary" new testing
kit.

Cumbria County Council has this week reiterated its policy that it
does not recommend random testing in schools.

The decision follows news that a new drug test kit, Preventx, is being
made available to schools across the country. Manufacturers claim that
the new kit can be administered in just five minutes, and can give an
immediate result with more than 97% accuracy.

They say it will allow teachers to monitor problems more efficiently,
will give parents peace of mind and will deter youngsters from
dabbling in drugs.

Vivian Brunt, a senior staff member from a Lincoln school, said: "We
are delighted that this product is being made available to schools.

By enforcing a compulsory drug testing policy we can eliminate a lot
of the social, behavioural and educational problems that schools today
increasingly face." Preventx bosses quote research which states that
1.5 million pupils in Britain had taken drugs, and more than 700,000
pupils starting UK high schools in September will be exposed to
illegal drugs.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said the council's education
service does not recommend random drugs testing in schools.

He added: "It offers guidance to all schools to enable them to produce
their own anti-drugs policy. "The governors are responsible for
introducing the policy and the head teacher for implementing the policy.

"Both the education service and schools are committed to eliminate the
misuse of drugs by pupils." The spokesman added that individual
incidents are dealt with between the pupil, the family and the school.