WHITE HOUSE PUSHES SCHOOL DRUG TESTS

Visitors To Denver Say Random Checks Are 'Dirt Cheap'

White House drug policy officials came to Denver on Thursday, saying random
drug testing of students can survive legal challenges and is "dirt cheap."

"You can protect an entire high school for about $1,000 a year," said David
Evans, with the Drug-Free Schools Coalition, who was invited by the White
House to speak about the issue on a multicity tour.

Mary Ann Solberg, deputy director of National Drug Control Policy, convened
the meeting with community leaders and school officials.

Speakers said random drug testing of one in 10 students typically reduces
use of marijuana and other drugs by 30 percent to 40 percent.

They said schools that follow the right formula have won most of the legal
challenges posed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes drug
testing in the name of privacy and personal freedoms.

The essentials, according to Evans:

Give students a way out of testing.

Courts have said schools can randomly test athletes and those in
extracurricular activities, but not all students. The reasoning is that
schools must maintain a balance between ensuring safety and respecting
privacy, but sports and clubs tip the balance toward safety.

Students in sports and clubs make up about 80 percent of most student
bodies. A school can test more if it also includes anyone who parks a car
in the student lot.

Involve parents. Hold public hearings that lay out arguments for and
against testing, and the consequences of a positive test.

Don't involve law enforcement. Assure parents that police won't be
called because of a positive test.

Typically, a student who tests positive must see a counselor and misses out
on the extracurricular activity for about 10 days. After that, the student
is allowed back to the activity after a clean urine test.

Drug testing isn't aimed at catching students, but at deterring use, said
attorney Joseph McKinney. Typically, 97 percent will test clean; and only
about 1 percent have a problem big enough to require addiction treatment.

The ACLU claims random testing discourages some students from participating
in extracurricular pursuits - and those not involved in school activities
are more likely to drop out.

The group assembled by the White House pointed to programs in Indiana and
elsewhere that suggest random drug testing doesn't bump up the dropout rate.

Locally, policies are varied.

Vantage Point High School in Thornton, for example, has students sign a
pledge to stay drug-free at school. It allows testing if three staff
members suspect drug use, said Janelle Albertson, spokeswoman for the Adams
12 School District.

Cherry Creek Schools do not do drug testing, spokeswoman Tustin Amole said.
Instead, if drug use is suspected, school officials contact parents and ask
them to take the student to the family doctor. If suspicious behavior
continues, disciplinary action is taken.