NORTH HILLS SCHOOLS' DRUG-TESTING POLICY MAY BE TIGHTENED

Prompted by a junior high student's refusal to take a drug test, the
superintendent of North Hills School District has proposed an amendment to
the district's discipline policy.

Under the proposed policy, any student who refuses to be tested for drug
use will be punished as if he or she tested positive. Board members will
vote on the change at their meeting on Feb. 23.

According to school officials, a student at North Hills Junior High was
sent to the nurse by a staff member late last year for suspicion of drug
use, but refused to take a drug test. The student's parents were contacted,
but they also refused to let the child be tested, according to district
spokesperson Tina Vojtko.

The student was given a warning by school administrators, but no other
action was taken, said Vojtko.

"This is the first time we've had this happen here in the North Hills
School District," said Vojtko. "Usually, if a student says no, the parents
will say yes."

In a memo to the board, Superintendent John D. Esaias recommended that any
student who does not submit to a drug test be "suspended immediately and
assigned to an alternative education program."

If the student declines alternative education, the board would set up an
expulsion hearing.

According to Witold Walczak, legal director for the Pittsburgh chapter of
the American Civil Liberties Union, suspicion-based searches and testing
are considered constitutional.

"The constitutional standard is that school officials can search a student
if they have a reasonable suspicion to believe that the student either has
contraband or has used illegal substances," said Walczak. "So testing under
those circumstances would be constitutional."

Walczak added, though, that the North Hills School District's punitive
policy regarding drug use may not be the best approach. "Most experts agree
that excluding a child who has a budding drug problem is the worst thing
you can do to that kid," said Walczak. "You're almost dooming that child to
drug abuse.

"Rather than excluding the child from activities and school, that child
should be referred to the pediatrician, to drug and alcohol counseling,"
Walczak said. "Help that child; don't punish them. The school board will do
more harm than good to those students who may have a drug problem."

Vojtko said the possible change has not been controversial thus far. During
a discussion of the discipline policy at a recent board meeting, there were
no parents who spoke out about the revision.

Vojtko said the district relies on the support of parents in its efforts to
keep schools drug free.

"We need the parents all along the way from kindergarten through 12th
grade," she said. "Certainly, when it comes to drugs and alcohol, the
parental role is a huge factor."