Pubdate: Fri, 25 Aug 2000 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Copyright: 2000 The Sydney Morning Herald Contact: GPO Box 3771, Sydney NSW 2001 Fax: +61-(0)2-9282 3492 Website: http://www.smh.com.au/ Forum: http://forums.fairfax.com.au/ Author: Julia Baird, Education Writer ARCHBISHOP SUPPORTS DRUG TESTING The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev Dr Harry Goodhew, yesterday backed drug testing at schools, increasing the impetus for its introduction at more than 30 Anglican schools in the diocese. Dr Goodhew said he backed the year-long trial of drug testing which has just begun at St Andrew's Cathedral School. The policy provides that a student caught with drugs can remain at the school if he or she and the parents agree to a series of measures including random drug tests, administered by the parents. Dr Goodhew said testing for drugs in schools was a compassionate approach. "Anything that can be done to dissuade youngsters from trying [drugs] and support the general effort to help kids say no, it is worth doing. If the home and school gives strong messages that it is not desirable there's more chance to help stave it off." Dr Goodhew indicated that if the trial at St Andrew's, which he raised at a meeting of heads of Anglican schools in May, was successful, "a number of schools will give it serious consideration". "I think people are looking to see how it goes ... because it is such a concern in the schools to do whatever they can to help kids through this stage." The archbishop's comments come as the principal of another Anglican school, SCEGGS Darlinghurst, Ms Jenny Allum, indicated she would be prepared to use drug testing if the need arose. Ms Allum said: "In the end, I think an educator's job is to try to take the most relevant, helpful strategies to solve the particular problem. So in that sense I would regard it as something I would consider ... it's a discipline matter as much as a health and pastoral matter." It is understood several other schools in Sydney administer the tests, including The King's School, Parramatta. Both of the influential figures in Anglican education, the head of the Anglican Schools Corporation, Dr Laurie Scandrett, and the head of the Anglican Education Commission, Dr Lindsay Stoddart, support the scheme. Some schools were still taking a hard line, he said, but "schools who are taking a more compassionate approach will be better able to serve our communities. Drugs are a problem, they are not going to go away." There are 32 Anglican schools in the Sydney diocese, and 48 in NSW. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart