ROANOKE COUNTY DEBATES RANDOM DRUG TESTS

Such a policy would affect students who join extracurricular
activities or who drive to school and park on school property.

Should middle and high school students randomly be tested for drug
use?

That's the question the Roanoke County Community/Schools Prevention
Council is trying to answer. The council plans to hold the second of
four public forums Tuesday at the Quality Inn in Salem to give county
parents a chance to speak on the issue.

If Roanoke County schools were to adopt a random or "suspicionless"
drug testing policy, it would affect any student who participates in
athletics or extracurricular activities or who drives to school and
parks on school property.

The first forum was held March 15 at Hidden Valley High School. About
100 people showed up with questions and opinions . The council handed
out one pamphlet that states random testing can successfully deter
students from using drugs, and another that contends there is no
scientific proof that it works.

"The research is really inconclusive," said JoAnn Burkholder, the
county's student assistance program administrator . She said that's
why parents are being asked to weigh in.

About a dozen people spoke at Hidden Valley, and most said they were
against the random tests. Parents raised concerns that the tests
violated students' privacy and may only deter students from using the
drugs they would be tested for, though it hasn't been determined what
those drugs would be.

Tim Via, assistant medical director for clinical chemistry at Carilion
Consolidated Laboratory, said it's least expensive to test for
marijuana and cocaine and more expensive to test for anabolic steroids
and inhalants. Students probably would not be tested for amphetamines
because those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be on
prescription amphetamines, he said.

Tim Fitzgerald, president of Safety and Compliance Services, which
tests bus drivers, explained that if someone tests positive for drug
use, a second test is done to determine which drug was in the person's
system. He said the system is very high-tech and there's no chance of
a false positive.

Fitzgerald said random testing "is not a cure-all," but he said he
believes that it does deter students from using drugs.

Parent Linda Nader wanted to know how the tests would be
funded.

"We don't know where the money's going to come from," Burkholder said.
She said that's one of the questions that will have to be answered if
parents want the random tests. Decisions will also have to be made on
who would be authorized to receive the test results and how to obtain
consent from each student's parent or guardian.

Both students and parents gasped when Burkholder explained that if a
parent or guardian will not consent, then the student will not be
allowed to participate in activities or park on school property.

Delores Phillips of the prevention council said the schools are not
yet taking a stance on the random tests.

"We thought it would be best to see how the parents and the community
feel," she said.

Some parents have been discussing the issue since 2002, when the U.S.
Supreme Court ruled that it is constitutional to randomly test
students involved in extracurricular activities not connected to
academics and students who drive to school and park in the school's
lot. Both parking and after-school activities are considered a
privilege and not a requirement for school.

The school's current policy is to test only students who are suspected
of being under the influence, possessing, distributing or selling
substances during regular school hours, at a school function, or going
to or from school. The Virginia High School League's policy is to test
students involved in extracurricular activities or athletics during a
season and who are found guilty of being under the influence,
possessing or distributing substances over the weekend off school property.

Phillips said information from the four forums will be gathered,
compiled and presented March 31 to the Roanoke County School Board and
Board of Supervisors. A short public opinion survey about random
testing can be completed on the prevention coalition's Web site,
www.rcc-spc.org.