PRINCIPALS BUILD CREDIBILITY BY ACCEPTING RANDOM TESTS

Our view: Twin Falls School District principals' endorsement for random
drug testing is a step in the right direction.

The Twin Falls School District no longer can shrug off random drug testing,
after the commendable decision by school principals to endorse the idea
last week.

These educators deserve applause for quickly and unanimously accepting the
idea of voluntary random tests. They recognize the district's credibility
is at stake on this issue, after former Bickel Elementary Principal Mary
Lee Roberts pleaded guilty to marijuana possession.

Superintendent Terrell Donicht may still say random testing isn't
necessary. But we think Morningside Elementary Principal Dennis Sonius is
right when he says Roberts' actions have cast the district and its
employees in a negative light.

The situation is made worse by denial. Donicht ignores reality when he
boasts that Roberts' case was isolated, and that "99.9 percent" of the
district's employees are drug-free.

No one would doubt the majority of teachers and administrators are clean.
But substance abuse problems affect every sector of the work force.
According to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services, an
estimated 6.5 percent of full-time workers nationwide are current illicit
drug users, meaning they had used illegal drugs during the month prior to
interview.

A separate study shows teaching is one of the occupations with the lowest
rates of illicit drug use. Police are another low-drug-use group, yet
police agencies commonly conduct random testing, because their credibility
is crucial to the communities they serve.

Schools should observe the same principle.

In students' eyes, the key flaw in school drug policies is requiring random
tests for kids who join teams or clubs, but not for teachers or administrators.

Drug-testing opponents argue the process infringes on teachers' rights.
They say it's demeaning. But imagine how it feels to a 15- year-old who
wants to play volleyball or sing in the school choir.

Apparently, the embarrassment of urine sampling is suitable for an
adolescent -- but intolerable for a professional educator.

Kids who participate in clubs and teams usually are motivated to excel.
Commitment, sacrifice and extra work are involved. In short, these kids
probably aren't the ones most at risk of drug abuse. But that hasn't
stopped the Supreme Court from ruling that they legally can be tested for
drugs.

The recommendation by Twin Falls principals to adopt random testing is a
promising step in the right direction -- and one that other local districts
should emulate. The models used by the Minidoka County and Buhl school
districts have proven successful so far.

We're confident that many Twin Falls teachers will voluntarily participate
in random tests. In light of the Roberts case, they'll want the public to
know educators are drug-free and deserving of the responsibility entrusted
to them.

The community is watching to see if its educators will walk the walk as
well as talk the talk.