TAMAQUA SCHOOLS WEIGH DRUG TESTS

Board Studies Legality. Official Says Program Boosts Graduation
Rate.

The Tamaqua Area School District is considering drug tests for its
students.

The school board on Tuesday discussed implementing some sort of
testing, but was warned that privacy laws would mean the tests
couldn't be random unless students or guardians consent, and it
couldn't target student groups.

But students enrolled in extracurricular, school-sponsored activities,
such as interscholastic sports, could be tested as part of a unified
code of conduct, high school Assistant Principal Steve Behr told the
board.

Behr spoke to the board after recently attending a New Jersey
conference on random student drug testing. He showed school directors
a clip from a conference video that said student drug testing helps
prevent student drug use and increase graduation rates.

School board members said they would look further into testing, but
gave no indication about their feelings on it.

"We have DARE [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] programs and other
preventions, but we have been unable to make a dent with peer
pressure," Behr said. "There's nothing that we can say or no guilt
trip we could lay on about screwing up their life."

But he said drug testing would give students "a way out" by
providing the excuse that they could face testing.

"It gives the student who will succumb to peer pressure a reason to
say no because he's on a team or the student government," Behr said.

Behr said the district drug and alcohol policy says students can face
expulsion if caught using. He said the tests could be implemented
under existing policy.

The video report noted that, in schools throughout the country,
students who failed the test faced no academic consequences and law
enforcement does not have to be involved. Instead, failing the test
could be used to get students counseling to prevent further drug use.

Records would be destroyed once the student was no longer in the
school district.

Behr said testing could detect a range of substances, including
marijuana, cocaine, heroin, prescription drugs, steroids, inhalants
and alcohol.

It would cost $30 to test and detect five substances for a student who
tested positive for drugs, and would include a review by medical
personnel. Behr said the cost would be lower for a person who tested
negative.

Tamaqua Area schools have been at the forefront on controversial
student lifestyle measures. Last year, the district implemented the
region's first uniform dress code, requiring that students wear khaki
pants, dress shoes, and blue or white shirts.

The measure initially drew complaints and lawsuit threats, and forced
early suspensions of some students who didn't comply. But the district
also implemented measures to help needy families buy the uniforms, and
this year, the program's second, complaints have subsided.