Pubdate: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA) Copyright: 2005 The Media News Group Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861 Author: Roger H. Aylworth Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) DURHAM SCHOOLS LOOK AT DRUG TESTS FOR ALL STUDENTS DURHAM -- It started out as an attempt to keep athletes on the chemical strait and narrow, but a proposed drug and alcohol testing policy may even have members of the Durham High School band and chess club peeing in a bottle. For months the Durham Unified School District board of trustees have been pondering revisions to the district's existing drug and alcohol policy as it pertains to high school athletes. Wednesday Durham High Principal Paul Arnold came before the regular trustees' meeting with a proposal that further defines possible sanctions for athletes found to be using drugs or alcohol, and random testing of the athletes. However, newly appointed Trustee Bruce Book asked whether such a policy should be focused only on student athletes. "I don't know why it always gets to be sports that you try out all of this on when all of the other (extracurricular activity) is just as much an elective as sports is ... They are just as likely to abuse this as any other student," said Book. DUSD Superintendent Penny Chennell said she wants to see all of the potential kinks worked out of a policy and nail down what in this case drug and alcohol testing will cost. Doing that on a limited scale, for example just among athletes, is a good way to have it in good order before it expands. "To be honest with you," said Book, "I just think it is terribly discriminatory to say that we are only going to do this, and maybe we are going to expand policy to something else later on." Speaking directly to Chennell, Book said, "I understand your concern about wanting to test something, but either it's good enough to do for everybody, or it is not good enough for anybody." Arnold said, as part of his research on a potential drug testing policy, he discovered the Colusa school district had one in place that might address Book's concerns. "In the Colusa model, they go into music programs, leadership, clubs, cocurricular clubs, FFA, and they actually go into elective programs where kids are using power tools. If you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and you are using power tools, that's a safety issue," explained Arnold. The principal also said Book was by no means the first to raise the idea of broader testing. "There are groups that I have spoken to who have said, Why athletes? Let's expand it out as far as we can expand it'," he said. Board Chairman Greg Sohnrey said there is no reason an expanded pool of candidates for random testing should, by itself, increase the cost of the actual testing. "I would think if you were adding just a few names from these other activities, it's not that much harder to add just a few names to the random selection ... That child still has the threat that they are going to be possibly picked. "Whether it is five kids being selected or 10 kids being selected, there is that threat over their heads. So, I don't think it is going to cost us any more," he continued. Sohnrey polled the other members of the board and there was apparent consensus that the trustees want to explore the "Colusa model." The board asked Arnold to come back at some later meeting with a proposal covering all extracurricular groups, beyond sports. However, the superintendent wanted to toss one more thought into the discussion. "There is one thing I would like you to think about. As we have administered this policy I don't believe we have ever drug tested a middle school student," said Chennell. "As we have talked about this, all the time we are fixating on the high schools. I'm just asking myself, when we are conceptualizing the policy language, do we ever consider as a district that perhaps some testing may start in the lower grades? " she asked. THE BACKGROUND: The Durham Unified School District trustees have been reviewing the system's policy on random drug and alcohol testing for student athletes, as well as appropriate sanctions for those found dirty. WHAT'S NEW: Trustees have asked for a random testing policy that would cover all extra-curricular activities such as band, clubs, student government and not merely athletes. WHAT'S NEXT: The district will be reviewing a winder proposal and the district superintendent has asked if the testing should extended into the intermediate school as well. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth