RANDOM DRUG TESTING HURTS MORE THAN HELPS STUDENTS

Random drug testing would be a waste of money for the Decatur School
District, which is already strapped for cash. School districts that
initiated random drug testing policies abandoned the program when they
realized the cost of drug testing far outweighed any real benefit.

For example, the Dublin, Ohio, school board ended drug testing policy
after spending $70,000 to test 1,473 students over two years and
getting only 20 positive results. The Dublin board decided the money
would be better spent on hiring a full-time drug and alcohol counselor.

Extracurricular activities are among the most effective anti-drug
programs, and drug testing is a barrier to student participation in
these activities. The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S.
Department of Justice report that most youth drug use takes place
between 3 and 6 p.m. before parents return home for the evening.
Students who spend one to four hours per week in extracurricular
activities are less likely to use drugs than students who do not
participate in extracurricular activities.

Random drug testing acts as a barrier to student involvement in these
activities by forcing students to choose from enduring a humiliating
drug test or skip participating altogether. Random drug testing will
discourage youth who are already using drugs, the very population that
would benefit the most from these activities, from participating,
thereby preventing them from receiving the benefits of activities that
would encourage them to stop using drugs.

RAYNE DEVIVO

Decatur