EDUCATION, TESTING HELP MAKE DRUG POLICIES EFFECTIVE

While the Edmonson County School Board is right in trying to find and
deal with students who are taking drugs, schools also must be aware
that a policy that neglects to include education as part of their
approach is incomplete. The board voted Monday to have outside
agencies randomly test students in middle school and high school who
are involved in extracurricular activities or who drive to school.

The fact that the policy has been discussed for several months and has
generally met with little resistance was reflected in the board's
unanimous vote. A lack of strong resistance from parents shows that
they likely are aware of a need for some kind of action to stem the
tide of drugs in the school system.

Support for the policy came from one of those parents - Kentucky State
Police Trooper Scott Skaggs, who spoke out strongly in favor of a drug
testing policy.

Support from the law enforcement community, which in general is more
aware of drug problems than most citizens, also carries a lot of
weight when considering whether such policies will work.

Some will argue that the policy will not have a great deterring effect
because it limits testing to specific types of students; board
Chairman Tommy Ritter is on record as saying most parents would like
to see all students subjected to the test. However, he was told by
board attorney Mike Owsley that doing so would probably not pass legal
muster.

Students in sports or other programs certainly are not immune to the
temptation of drugs. However, it's likely that the greater struggle
with drugs will be found among students who have no goals or other
interests. Still, the symbolic effect of having a drug-testing policy
is an important first step toward addressing the problem.

However, research has shown that drug-testing policies alone have not
proved to be effective in preventing drug use. A recent University of
Michigan study of 722 secondary schools nationwide showed that testing
students does not deter drug use.

What is more likely to work is the threat of testing combined with the
hard work of education, which can be greatly aided by Drug Abuse
Resistance Education programs that have been specifically developed to
communicate with and are especially effective with elementary school
students.

Along with teaching students to "just say no," why not give youngsters
exposure to people willing to testify about the negative effects of
drugs on their lives?

Dealing with drugs in school is not an easy task for teachers,
administrators or parents. Edmonson County should be commended for its
symbolic stand by voting to implement testing as far as the law allows.

By also emphasizing education about prevention, including powerful
personal testimonies, the school board can add substance to its symbolism.