AREA DISTRICTS TO EXAMINE TEST POLICIES

Schools: Tests 'A Way to Say No'

More Oklahoma students could face drug tests this fall as school officials
across the state re-examine their drug-testing policies. Any changes would
follow the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling Thursday allowing districts to test
students who participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities.
In Harrah, no districtwide drug testing policy is in place, but
Superintendent Dean Hughes said the court's decision could cause the school
board to consider the idea.

"The issue at this point will be costs," he said. "I think the board will
revisit that, but now where that will go, I cannot speculate."

Hughes said he was superintendent in another district that tested all
athletes, which cost the district about $10,000 a year.

At a time when districts are facing state aid shortfalls, funding to cover
tests may have to come from outside the districts.

Superintendent Roxie Terry of Drumright Public Schools said his district
suspended testing pending the Tecumseh case's outcome. Drumright tested all
students involved in extracurricular activities for about a year and a half
before the Tecumseh case was first heard.

During that time, about 65 percent of the student body was affected. Only
one test was positive for drug use, he said.

"By having the testing policy in place, it gave those kids a way to say no
to drugs and yet still be cool, and that was really the whole purpose,"
Terry said. "When it was presented in that way, not only did the kids
support it, but so did the parents, teachers and coaches."

Now that the Supreme Court has reached a decision, the district intends to
reinstate the policy, Terry said.

Drumright schools will continue to rely on donations from civic and
community organizations to pay for drug tests.

Lucy Smith, school superintendent in McAlester, said she was pleased with
the decision. She said sponsors of extracurricular activities have inquired
about testing students in their programs, but the district was told to
follow strict interpretations of former Supreme Court rulings.

"I know our board will want to look at the picture in terms of this
decision," Smith said.

School officials in Pauls Valley considered adopting a policy similar to
Tecumseh's but ultimately decided just to test athletes last year,
Superintendent Bobby Russell said.

Russell said he won't immediately recommend any changes to the policy. He
said any changes would need community input.

That's the advice Tecumseh's attorney and an attorney for the Oklahoma
State School Boards Association said they will give districts seeking input
about drug-testing policies. They said community support can be crucial.

Linda Meoli, who argued Tecumseh's case before the Supreme Court, said she
would urge districts to use other tools to fight drug use before resorting
to drug testing. She said Tecumseh uses police security in schools,
surveillance cameras, drug interdiction dogs and drug prevention programs.

Julie Vogt, a state school boards association attorney who regularly
advises state school boards, said a survey two years ago revealed more than
100 or Oklahoma's 500 districts said they would consider drug testing if
the courts issued a definitive decision.

"We had a lot of districts that abandoned the practice when all this came
about that will probably rethink that now," she said.