Pubdate: Mon, 23 Feb 2004
Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)
Copyright: 2004 Telegraph Group Limited
Contact:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/114
Author: Benedict Brogan
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

TEACHERS FEAR 'POLICE ROLE' OVER DRUG TESTS

Teachers say they risk being turned into policemen by Tony Blair's decision 
to allow random drugs tests in English schools.

The Prime Minister said rules would be introduced to allow American-style 
classroom checks as part of a drive to curb the spread of drug use.

He told the News of the World that guidance would be given to head teachers 
next month, empowering them to carry out such tests if they felt it 
necessary. Police sniffer dogs and urine tests will be permitted.

But teaching unions fear that the new measure could be unenforceable. They 
say it could trigger a wave of litigation, with the parents of pupils 
subjected to checks suing schools, governors and education authorities for 
violating civil rights.

Eamonn O'Kane, the general secretary of the National Association of 
Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said the guidelines amounted to 
giving teachers police powers. He urged his colleagues to use them only as 
a last resort.

"I think a head teacher would want to think very, very carefully before 
exercising them," he said.

Drugs were a "totally unacceptable" problem in some schools, but the new 
powers risked altering the relationship between pupils and teachers. "I 
certainly would not like to see individual teachers involved in such 
testing," he said.

Jean Gemmell, the general secretary of the Professional Association of 
Teachers, said she was horrified by the decision. "I cannot quite see how 
on earth it is going to work," she said. "Litigation is rife when teachers 
are deemed to have done anything intrusive that parents or young people are 
not happy with."

David Hart, the general secretary of the National Association of Head 
Teachers, gave a cautious welcome to the scheme, saying it would give heads 
"another weapon in their fight against drugs being pushed or used in their 
schools".

However, Dr John Dunford, the general secretary of the Secondary Heads 
Association, said the move pushed responsibility for tackling drugs on to 
head teachers. "I am concerned at the implication that the drugs problem is 
rooted in schools and that schools should solve it," he said.

Concern was also expressed by anti-drug campaigners. Martin Barnes, the 
chief executive of the charity DrugScope, said: "These measures risk 
driving drug use further underground, an increase in truancies and 
exclusions and a breakdown in trust between pupils and schools."

The Tories accused Mr Blair of sending out mixed messages on drug policy 
after the recent downgrading of the classification of cannabis. Tim 
Collins, the party's education spokesman, said: "This is a welcome 
announcement, but it does seem inconsistent with the fact that the 
Government has led children to believe that using cannabis is less serious 
than it was."

Phil Willis, the Liberal Democrats' education spokesman, said: "Drug abuse 
is a major social problem, endemic across society. It should not be treated 
in isolation as a school problem, nor be the responsibility of head 
teachers to test children."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom