Pubdate: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 Source: Mobile Register (AL) Copyright: 2004 Mobile Register. Contact: http://www.al.com/mobileregister/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/269 Author: Rhoda A. Pickett Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) RETIRED DA: TEST STUDENTS FOR DRUGS Harry Connick Sr. Says Testing Could Help Curb Abuse Among Young People It may be an uphill battle, but subjecting students to drug testing could prove a beneficial way to fight drug use by young people, retired Orleans, La., Parish District Attorney Harry Connick Sr. told Mobile United members Tuesday. Connick came to Mobile to discuss how drug testing helped turn around some New Orleans students who -- if left alone -- probably would have added to the city's crime statistics. "The most serious menace to our young people is drugs, Connick said at the early morning meeting at the International Trade Club in downtown Mobile. The homicide rate in New Orleans is connected to drugs. On Sunday, the Times Picayune of New Orleans started a series of articles dealing with the addiction and death wrought by the city's drug trade. New Orleans has one of the highest murder rates in the country. During the nearly 30 years that Connick served as district attorney, he said, he prosecuted numerous cases involving drugs. You could almost eliminate homicide if you eliminated drugs, he said. The one way to detect drugs it to test. Connick said getting New Orleans public schools' participation has proven to be the hardest hurdle to overcome. A handful of private Catholic schools in the Crescent City have committed to the testing program, but public school administrators have avoided the issue, he said during the question-and-answer session. Connick, who is white, said the public school system in New Orleans is predominantly black, and public school officials told him they didn't want the DA messing with their kids. "I told them I was already messing with their kids in the judicial system, he said. This racial thing comes up, but it's not a racial thing. They all are our children. In New Orleans, the private schools can test students' hair as well urine samples. Urine samples are good for determining which drugs are in a student's system at the moment, Connick said. But hair is better for determining how long a student has been using drugs, he said. A similar program to test some students has made a few inroads in Mobile County. Sheriff Jack Tillman launched a program in January directed at varsity and junior varsity baseball players at Mary G. Montgomery High School. Tillman offered department funding for similar programs at five other high schools: Alma Bryant, Baker, Citronelle, Satsuma and Theodore. Some area private schools in Mobile and Baldwin counties have started testing students. But the Mobile County public school board voted in August to oppose widespread drug testing. The New Orleans schools that are testing have different methods of handling students who test positive for illegal drug use, Connick said. Pat Taylor, a Mobile United member, said drug testing programs are not in place to catch anyone, but to prevent drug use. "It's a health issue, not a social issue. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman