Pubdate: Thu, 22 Mar 2007 Source: Morning Call (Allentown, PA) Copyright: 2007 The Morning Call Inc. Contact: http://www.mcall.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/275 Author: Christopher R. Mena Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) TAMAQUA SCHOOLS WEIGH DRUG TESTS Board Studies Legality. Official Says Program Boosts Graduation Rate. The Tamaqua Area School District is considering drug tests for its students. The school board on Tuesday discussed implementing some sort of testing, but was warned that privacy laws would mean the tests couldn't be random unless students or guardians consent, and it couldn't target student groups. But students enrolled in extracurricular, school-sponsored activities, such as interscholastic sports, could be tested as part of a unified code of conduct, high school Assistant Principal Steve Behr told the board. Behr spoke to the board after recently attending a New Jersey conference on random student drug testing. He showed school directors a clip from a conference video that said student drug testing helps prevent student drug use and increase graduation rates. School board members said they would look further into testing, but gave no indication about their feelings on it. "We have DARE [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] programs and other preventions, but we have been unable to make a dent with peer pressure," Behr said. "There's nothing that we can say or no guilt trip we could lay on about screwing up their life." But he said drug testing would give students "a way out" by providing the excuse that they could face testing. "It gives the student who will succumb to peer pressure a reason to say no because he's on a team or the student government," Behr said. Behr said the district drug and alcohol policy says students can face expulsion if caught using. He said the tests could be implemented under existing policy. The video report noted that, in schools throughout the country, students who failed the test faced no academic consequences and law enforcement does not have to be involved. Instead, failing the test could be used to get students counseling to prevent further drug use. Records would be destroyed once the student was no longer in the school district. Behr said testing could detect a range of substances, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, prescription drugs, steroids, inhalants and alcohol. It would cost $30 to test and detect five substances for a student who tested positive for drugs, and would include a review by medical personnel. Behr said the cost would be lower for a person who tested negative. Tamaqua Area schools have been at the forefront on controversial student lifestyle measures. Last year, the district implemented the region's first uniform dress code, requiring that students wear khaki pants, dress shoes, and blue or white shirts. The measure initially drew complaints and lawsuit threats, and forced early suspensions of some students who didn't comply. But the district also implemented measures to help needy families buy the uniforms, and this year, the program's second, complaints have subsided. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake