BAY AREA SCHOOLS RELUCTANT TO BEGIN BROAD DRUG TESTING

Now that the nation's highest court has given the constitutional go-ahead
to drug-test high school students from soccer stars to tuba players, how
effective is this technique at combating student drug use?

Not very, say experts, who add that the expense -- an average of $60 per
student per test -- drains scarce dollars away from other drug-prevention
tactics that research shows are far more effective.

"It's very scary that pretty soon schools will say you have to pee in a cup
to get an education," said Dr. Richard B. Heyman, former chair of the
substance use committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He says
students should be encouraged, not discouraged, to participate in
after-school activities.

It's that reason -- and the basic issue of trust -- that Bay Area educators
cite when saying that even with the approval of the highest court in the
land, they don't expect to begin testing their students for drugs.

"I don't believe it would be in the best interest of the school to just
randomly choose people without cause," said Charles Gary, principal at
Milpitas High School. "It would create a distrust of authority."

At Los Gatos High, school officials have periodically allowed police with
drug-sniffing dogs on campus as a demonstration that the school is a
drug-free zone. The visits typically result in a handful of arrests on
minor drug-possession charges.

But those officials draw the line at drug testing.

"It's a little bit capricious," said Don Hand, Los Gatos' assistant
principal. "I don't think the problem is that widespread."

Heyman said fear of random tests could drive students away from the very
drug-prevention programs that studies have shown can help curb drug use:
extracurricular activities.

Studies show that juvenile crime and drug use peak between 3 and 6 p.m.,
the hours when school ends and parents return home. Nationally, one-fourth
to one-half of teenagers -- depending on their age -- reported using an
illegal drug in the past year, federal studies show.

"Kids who are using drugs should get help," Heyman said. "It's silly to
think getting kids out of extracurricular activities is going to get them
that."

This week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling found that random drug tests of
students who are engaged in extracurricular activities -- even if none are
suspected of drug use -- does not violate a student's constitutional right
to privacy. In 1995 the court ruled schools could test athletes for drugs.

But very few schools in California -- and about 5 percent of districts
nationally -- screen athletes for drugs. Individual districts, like one in
Kentucky, have reported a decline in drug use among athletes since the drug
screenings were begun, but no comprehensive national study has shown the
practice has a significant deterrent effect over time.

The most effective drug prevention programs that schools can purchase are
courses that teach students role-playing skills to avoid drug use instead
of lecturing students on the risks, according to Drug Strategies, a
Washington, D.C.-based research group. A consistent anti-drug message,
echoed throughout the entire school curriculum and reinforced by parents,
has also been shown to make a difference, the organization said.

Critics of this week's Supreme Court decision also questioned the validity
of the drug test itself, arguing that because districts often opt for a
cheaper, less sophisticated screening process, students can foil the test.

Drinking cranberry juice or teas can dilute a drug's concentration, and
products such as dehydrated urine and other additives can mask a positive
result, experts say. Many such products, like Urine Luck or ClearChoice
additive, are available online for about $30 each.

Most tests used in schools today generally screen for marijuana, cocaine
and several other drugs -- and not often steroids or other drugs, such as LSD.

Even drug testing companies acknowledge that depending on how the sample is
collected, a lot can go wrong with the test results, said Joe Kurta, vice
president of sales and marketing for PharmChem, one of nation's largest
drug-testing laboratories. "There are three ways to mess with the specimen:
dilute it, substitute it or liquidate it," said Kurta, who has heard of
adults smuggling in a drug-free urine sample for their company's drug
tests. "Desperate people try desperate things," he said.

Kurta added that most drug companies take precautions to prevent cheating.
The technicians use cups with temperature gauges to make sure the specimen
came from a warm body and not a packet.

Whether to test is a difficult choice for many school leaders who are eager
to respond to parents' concerns about student drug use.

Kevin Jolly, superintendent of the Modoc Joint Unified School District in
Alturas, said parents recently pressed the district to adopt a measure that
would have tested all students in the district for drugs. Student drug use
in the district was at about the national average of 25 percent.

The board decided against it, Jolly said, and opted for a drug education
program that would include training staff to better identify the signs of
inebriated or drug-addled students.

"We reached the conclusion that there is something to be gained by living
in a society where you are free from unreasonable searches."