Pubdate: Sun, 01 Apr 2007 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2007 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n377/a09.html Author: Robert L. Aromando, Jr. RANDOM DRUG TESTS FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS To the Editor: Re "Is This the Answer to Drug Use?" (March 25): As a parent of two children who graduated from Delaware Valley Regional High School and an expert in the field of student drug testing, I absolutely support random student drug testing as a deterrent to help solve the problem of teenage drug use. I have been a very active participant at the high school in a variety of capacities, mostly with the school marching band as a chaperone, and can tell you that every school in our state has an issue with student drug use; to deny it is ludicrous and being ignorant to what peer pressure can do to our children. Like random drug testing in the workplace, random school testing as defined by the courts is a clear deterrent against drug use. Furthermore, random drug testing of student athletes in high school is no different for those same students than if they should later participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association programs. And what about as they enter the work force? More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies perform pre-employment drug testing. Testing students on a random basis is logical, and it's been upheld by the highest court in the country. Robert L. Aromando Jr. Flemington The writer is managing partner of K Street Associates, a health care consulting firm that works with drug-testing companies. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake