Pubdate: Sun, 05 Dec 2004 Source: Times Argus (Barre, VT) Copyright: 2004 Times Argus Contact: http://www.timesargus.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/893 Author: Brendan McKenna, Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) RANDOM DRUG TESTING IS NOT AN OPTION AT MOST VT. SCHOOLS Few, if any, Vermont schools are joining Fair Haven Union High's investigation into the intricacies of random student drug testing. Many schools have policies that allow teachers and administrators to test students who are under suspicion or have already gotten in trouble with drugs, but state officials say no other districts have contacted them about going further. The Vermont Principals' Association, Vermont School Boards Association and the Department of Education all said that no schools or board members anywhere in the state have contacted them seeking information about random student drug testing. "To the best of our knowledge there aren't any other schools in Vermont either conducting randomized drug testing or considering conducting randomized drug testing as Fair Haven is," said Douglas Dows of the Department of Education. John Nelson, executive director of the association of school boards, said that while he is frequently contacted by school boards and administrators for help writing school policies, random drug tests really aren't on the radar. "Periodically we do get requests for information on different policy issues but I can't think of any with respect to this," Nelson said. "It's definitely an area that you wouldn't want to adopt a policy without a thorough review of the legal implications. "Student searches, which is basically what this is, well I wouldn't call it a minefield but it's complicated," he said. Nelson noted that because the issue of random drug testing is so controversial it generally only comes up if there are some in the community that really support the idea. "It doesn't rise to the top by itself," he said. That's essentially what happened for the Fair Haven Union High School. Two polls conducted by Fair Haven Area Neighborhoods showed that about 70 percent of people polled in the communities that send students to the school support random drug testing of students. That has led the high school board policy committee to work on drafting a policy to be considered by the full board. The board has not decided whether to adopt any policy that might come out of the committee. Peter Neary, a board member of Fair Haven Area Neighborhoods and supporter of random drug testing, said there are many potential advantages for a school that adopts such a policy. "Drug testing might help reveal those students who might be at risk or in need of some treatment," he said, adding that it could also provide a convenient excuse for students who want to say no. "They can point to the policy and say, 'I don't want to risk the consequences of being dropped from an athletic team.' Neary, who is also a Deputy State's Attorney, said that the committee's investigation was not prompted by any specific incidents, and school board members said they were hoping to act proactively, before drugs become a big problem among students. "Drugs in Rutland County have become much more prevalent and the nature of the drugs is much more serious," said Neary. "Heroin, oxycontin and crack cocaine have all infiltrated Rutland County in recent years." No matter how useful it might be, Allen Gilbert, executive director of the Vermont American Civil Liberties Union, said random testing is a bad idea. "We're opposed to searches where there's no reason to suspect criminal activity," Gilbert said. "It goes to the very core of our civil liberties. "The only way you can chip away at civil liberties is in cases where there's a compelling public interest and in Fair Haven even the administrators say they don't have a huge drug problem," he said. Gilbert's reasoning is precisely why David Dunn, chairman of the Brattleboro School Board, said he personally opposed random drug testing, which has not been brought before school officials in Brattleboro. "Random testing of students goes too far," Dunn said. "I don't believe it deters drug use and I believe it's a question of civil rights and I would be opposed to (testing) unless there's cause." There are also practical reasons to have concerns about random drug testing, said Mary Moran, superintendent of schools in Rutland. "There's the question of efficacy, is it constitutional, is it fair, how, logistically, would it be done," she said. "Would it be all students or only those in cocurricular activities?" There's also the question of climate, said Eve Jacobs-Carnahan, a member of the Montpelier School Board. "We like to give the students a lot of respect and independence and responsibility," Jacobs-Carnahan said. "And random drug testing would cut into that a lot." However, a surprising number of students support the concept of random drug testing. "I say go for it. I don't do drugs. Let the people who do go down," said Kyle Moran a senior at Spaulding High School in Barre. "Drugs aren't supposed to be in school, so there's no reason anybody should have a problem being tested. If you don't do drugs, you won't fail the test." Laura Hasselbroek of Castleton, a senior at Rutland High School on the girl's basketball team, agreed "I support it," she said. "It might prevent a lot of kids from doing drugs if there are consequences." But such sentiments aren't universal. "I don't think it's a good idea," said Joey Orbis, a Rutland High sophomore, who added that drug testing is more properly the decision of parents. "If they've been caught it's obviously fair, but besides that I don't think it's necessary." Mike Yesalonia, a junior on the football team at Spaulding said he thought random testing would be a violation of student privacy. "As long as you're not high in school it's none of their business," he said. "If you have a reason to believe a kid is going to school high, then I'd be for it. But if they wanted to test me for no reason I'd be mad." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake