JEFFERSON PARISH SCHOOLS OK DRUG TESTING

HARVEY, La. - Every public high school and four Catholic schools in
Jefferson Parish will have student drug-testing programs in place by next
fall, District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick announced that
two more Catholic high schools in New Orleans will join three others
already taking part in the program.

"The program has proven to reduce the demand for drugs among teen-agers,"
Harry Connick said.

Any student participating in strenuous extracurricular activity will have
to undergo a mandatory drug test. Two other schools, Ehret and East
Jefferson, will offer drug testing for any student on a volunteer basis.
Students who test positive will receive treatment and will be suspended
from extracurricular activities until tests show they are drug free,
officials said.

Paul Connick said he knew of no other school board in the country to have
adopted a districtwide drug testing policy.

School Superintendent Elton Legasse says the program has been a hit with
parents so far.

The method of testing will involve a student's hair sample. That test can
detect drug use as far back as 90 days.

By next fall, a total of 21 New Orleans-area schools will have drug
testing: 13 in Jefferson, five in Orleans and three in St. Tammany.

Officials say about 5,000 students are expected to undergo drug tests in
Jefferson Parish next school year.

Total costs of student drug testing in the three parishes are expected to
exceed $500,000 and will come from various sources, including federal
grants obtained with help from Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, and Rep.
David Vitter, R-Metairie, local officials said.