TEST CASE

Is It Fair To Test Students For Drug Use -- Or Is It Invasion Of Privacy?

To test, or not to test? This is the question that has been buzzing around
Sacred Heart-Griffin High School for the past 18 months, ever since the
administration announced it was considering testing students for drugs.

Because of the topic's controversial nature, Sacred Heart-Griffin principal
Sister Margaret Joanne Grueter said she moved slowly and deliberately
through the decision-making process before making any changes to SHG's
policies.

"When I came to my position, it was on my list of issues that I was advised
to address," said Grueter, who was named principal in July 2000.

After a year and a half of committee meetings, discussions with parents and
forums for students about the possibility of drug testing, the school in
December decided against implementing a drug-testing policy.

The issue could resurface in the future, school officials said. "That's a
possibility, sure," said William Moredock, director of SHG's student and
family services. "We would never say never. It may be something that we
reconsider as we look to the future."

Before the administration made its decision, much research was done on the
issue.

Grueter appointed a committee of SHG faculty to study other schools'
drug-testing policies. Committee members contacted public and private
schools around the state that currently test students for drugs.

"People who we talked to were generally supportive of the program,"
Moredock said.

However, it was hard to find conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of
those policies, Moredock said.

Though the parents at Peoria's Catholic schools spoke favorably of the drug
tests they recently implemented, they have only had such a policy for one
year. Another school abandoned the tests after a year of using them,
Moredock said.

Grueter said the committee found that schools test in a variety of ways.
Mostly it is done on a random basis, with different percentages of the
student population tested at different times.

The committee also studied state and national surveys related to drug
testing, and they held open forums for teachers, students and parents.

"We had a real variety of student (and teacher) responses," Grueter said.

"No matter which way (teachers) were expressing it, there was concern that
we do take an active role in drug prevention, but there was not a consensus
on how to do it."

Those who favored implementing drug tests said it would prevent the use of
illegal substances.

"If I had a choice, I would do it," said SHG teacher Charles Lee. "It
creates the environment of better learning, and that's the goal of this
school."

"Drug use seems to have become more prevalent in high schools these past
several years," said Jill Seelbach, a junior at SHG. "Testing may deter
students from using illegal substances and falling victim to the peer
pressures involved with drug use in schools."

Some students said they were not against drug tests because they have
nothing to hide.

"If you don't do (drugs), then you're not really going to care if they do
(drug testing) or not," said John Michael Rotello, a freshman.

Faculty members and students who were against the drug tests said it was an
invasion of students' privacy.

"In my opinion, drug testing presents the assumption that students are
already guilty of drug use," said senior Michelle Garvey.

"I think that drug testing would go against our personal rights as students
and as human beings," said junior Drew White.

"It may be beneficial, but it's an invasion of privacy," said senior
Melissa Drennan.

Some students said drug testing would not deter students from doing drugs,
but might even lead to increased use of alcohol and tobacco.

"It would cause more problems by leading kids to do non-testable drugs,"
said sophomore Matt McGarry.

Questions of how the testing would be conducted, who would provide the
funding and what would happen to those found guilty also arose during the
debate.

"I think it would depend on what they would plan on doing to help people
with problems and how they would punish first-time abusers," said freshman
Marc Anderson.

If a student tested positive, Grueter said the school's top priority would
have been to provide counseling. But a final decision regarding the type of
punishment was never resolved.

Financing for the drug tests was a major reason for the defeat of the
issue. "We didn't want to have to pass the cost on necessarily to the whole
student body," Moredock said.

In the end, SHG's administration decided to focus on drug-use prevention by
keeping the current policy.

"We certainly realize that drugs are a problem, but we didn't want to put
emphasis on the testing end of things," Moredock said.

Grueter said she will encourage the positive aspects of drug prevention,
including counseling and other educational activities.

"I am very much into healthy choices for our students," Grueter said.
"Anything I can do to promote that, I will be a part of it."

Francesca Jarosz is a junior at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School.