DRUG TESTING UNDER FIRE AT WURTLAND SCHOOL

WURTLAND Tammy Stephens knows school districts have an obligation when
it comes to preventing students from abusing drugs.

That, however, was no consolation Friday when she watched her son,
13-year-old Wurtland Middle School student Joshua Sizemore, endure a
school-administered drug test that subsequently yielded positive
results for the drug PCP. Following the advice of school officials,
Stephens took her son to the hospital for further, more specific,
tests for traces of PCP, benzodiazepines, cocaine, amphetamine,
cannabinoids, barbituates and tricyclic.

The hospital test results came back negative, leaving Stephens anxious
over the way the situation was handled and sensing that the whole
ordeal could have been avoided.

"I hope a parent never has to go through what I went through on
Friday," said Stephens, a social worker in South Shore. "It was awful
- - like a nightmare come true."

The experience, she said, has left her with bad feelings about the
school's drug policy. She worries about the efficacy of the
school-administered tests - over-the-counter kits purchased at local
drugstores - and feels her son's confidentiality rights were
compromised when he was tested at school.

But school officials, who saw one WMS student taken to the hospital
earlier this month after taking PCP at the school, say they're doing
what they can to maintain an effective policy and only have students'
best interests in mind.

They maintain it's their duty when a student is reported to be taking
drugs at school to follow up with the test as a safety precaution.

Moreover, they only test with parental consent and advise parents to
seek further testing at a hospital.

Reliability defended

Everyone agrees Stephens' son was made to endure an unfortunate
ordeal, though a school official defended the reliability of the
at-home drug tests.

John Younce, superintendent for Greenup County Public Schools, said
the false-positive result raised a red flag for school officials. But
the tests, which are made by the Houston, Texas-based corporation
ALATEX Scientific Inc. and are called "Peace of Mind" tests, have been
proven accurate in a large majority of cases.

"The drug test is 99.2 percent reliable," said Younce. "It would
appear this matter is dealing with the 0.8 percent."

The type of drug test can vary from school to school and with the need
to test for different types of drugs. A law enforcement officer is
always called in when drug abuse is suspected, Younce said.

Under the district policy, certified personnel, counselors, school
administrators and law enforcement officers can administer the tests.
Younce admitted little training is involved, but the tests, which are
comparable to home pregnancy kits, can be administered simply enough
provided directions are followed.

"If we err, we're going to try and err on the safe side," said Younce.

There is little evidence to indicate the drug-test kits shouldn't be used.

Jason Plummer, a pharmacist with CVS Pharmacy on Lexington Avenue,
said the kits are approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and put through a rigorous testing process before hitting the
market. In other words, the reliability rating has to be proven before
it can be used for marketing.

"These are 'at-home' (tests) so the Average Joe should be able to do
it, as long as you follow directions," said Plummer.

Plummer said the tests come with instructions to avoid ruining
results, such as advising that hands not be washed before the test.
Soap, Plummer said, can contaminate results. Similarly, the test cup
should remain sealed until the time it is to be used.

But given the tests affordability, he said he didn't see any reason
why the tests couldn't be used by schools.

"They're 99 percent accurate," he said. "They're about as reliable as
the others - the ones you get from the doctor, the hospital," he said.

Mother's worries

For Stephens, her concerns aren't necessarily directed at the test
itself - but those administering it.

The school test requires a urine sample and comes equipped with a
swab, which changes color to indicate a positive or negative result
within a few minutes.

Staff at the hospital, which also uses a urine test, told Stephens the
school test could have yielded false results for various reasons, such
as not having enough urine to test the sample, she said.

That is precisely why Stephens said those administering drug tests, as
well as parents and students, should be more educated about them.

"What would have happened if I didn't take him to the hospital?"
Stephens asked.

She maintained there was no proof her son had taken drugs,
particularly PCP, a drug used as an animal tranquilizer and known to
create severely erratic behavior and hallucinations in humans.

"They had no knowledge," said Stephens. "They didn't have any signs or
symptoms he was taking drugs."

Now she worries about the impact the ordeal will have on her son's
reputation, pointing to phone calls she said she received Friday
afternoon from a parent and WMS student who had heard rumors her son
had tested positive for PCP.

"It was supposed to be confidential and it was not," said Stephens.
"It was leaked through the whole school."

Younce said there are policies in place to protect students' rights to
confidentiality. He said school officials are barred from giving out
information on student drug tests or results, but they can't stop
students from spreading gossip or speculating on what they see.

Privacy, training issues

Stephens sees problems with the way her son's situation was handled.

She said she'd like to see a review of the school district's drug
policy, with emphasis on protecting confidentiality and more training
on spotting the signs of drug abuse. She also said parents should
receive instructions on what to do if their children are tested for
drugs.

But drug policies vary throughout the state.

At Russell Independent Schools, random tests are periodically
conducted on student athletes, student drivers and a volunteer group.
The tests, which cost about $20 apiece, require two urine samples from
students and are sent off to a lab for testing. Drug dogs from a
privately owned company in Cincinnati also are brought regularly to
check the middle school and high school, according to Russell
Superintendent Ronnie Back.

Back gave the random drug screening concept a good review and said,
while it won't eradicate drug abuse, it might deter it.

"What we're trying to do is give kids another reason to say no," said
Back. "Do I think it keeps 100 percent of them from trying drugs? No,
but I think it's a deterrent."

According to Brad Hughes, spokesman for the Kentucky School Board
Association, 27 school districts practice similar random drug testing.
But there is no scientific evidence on what kinds of policies are the
most effective.

Jon Akers, Kentucky Center for School Safety director, has traveled
the state lecturing education cooperatives on drug abuse in school
systems. He said policies are different at different schools.

"I call it the same wheel, but a different hub cap," said Akers, who
doesn't have a problem with testing for drugs at school.

The most important thing is for parents and school administrators to
work cooperatively, when a student is suspected of taking drugs. When
a school test is administered, Akers said he advises results be sent
to a laboratory which can detect specifically what is in a student's
system.

Policies can have flaws, and tests can produce inaccurate results,
but, in the end, the biggest problem of all could be complacency, Akers
said.

"As I travel around the state and listen to people talk, there's
almost a blase-ness," said Akers. "It's almost a hand-washing type of
thing. People don't see this as the major epidemic that it is."