Pubdate: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 Source: Lingle Guide (WY) Contact: 2008 News Media Corporation Website: http://www.lingleguide.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4882 Author: Kevin Bottrell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) SCHOOL BOARD EXAMINES DRUG TESTING POLICIES The Goshen County School Board and the District Athletic Administrators Committee (DAAC) are considering whether a random drug testing policy for students at Goshen County high school would help deter drug use among local youth. Jim English, assistant principal of Torrington High School and one of the members of the DAAC, said the board and the DAAC have looked at several recent surveys of both Wyoming in general and Goshen County, all of which indicate local schools are having problems with drugs. A 2008 survey conducted among parents, students and teachers in Goshen County found that all three groups ranked drugs as either their number one or number two concern at school. English said 600 students were surveyed around the county, and that not only did they rank drugs as the number one concern, but written comments with the survey papers also expressed concerns about the prevalence of drugs. The 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among Wyoming students, 43 percent of 12th graders said they used marijuana one or more times during their life and 17 percent of 11th graders said they had used marijuana one or more times during the last 30 days. Between 8 and 10 percent of high school students said they had used cocaine one or more times during their lives and between 22 and 28 percent said they had been offered, sold or given an illegal drug on school grounds in the past year. By far the highest statistic was alcohol use. Between 72 and 83 percent of high school students said they had a drink of alcohol more in their lives and between 39 and 48 percent said they had a drink of alcohol in the past 30 days. English said the board and administration held a work session to discuss concerns gathered from the student, staff, parent and community surveys. The DAAC looked at several ways to combat drug use in Goshen County schools. Drug testing was one method that was suggested. At the Tuesday board meeting, the board instructed the DAAC to look into similar testing policies at schools in Wyoming and the Nebraska Panhandle to see what those schools have chosen to implement. English said he has examined drug testing policies in Gillette, Scottsbluff, Neb., Chadron, Neb., and Bridgeport, Neb. Among these schools, he said, the policies were very similar. Students who want to participate in activities must enter into the random drug testing pool. The differences, he said, are often in what activities are included in the policy. While only testing students that are participating in activities may leave out a portion of the student body, English said there is a preconceived notion that the youth who are involved in activities are the ones less likely to be using drugs in the first place. "We hope that's true, but whether they do or do not they still have the peer pressure to start," English said. However, he said, youth that are involved in activities are often the social leaders of the school, and having them drug-free sends a signal to the rest of the students. In addition, students who are offered drugs might decline because they want to participate in an activity. "One of the most beneficial things that I see coming out of this is that it gives them a reason to say no," English said. Drug testing, he said, would also identify youth who have only just begun using drugs as well as those with serious substance abuse problems. Identifying drug use just by behavior can be difficult since youth often go to great lengths to hide it. Most schools have policies have procedures in place for when testing comes back with a positive result. Most include punitive measures such as disallowing the student to participate in the activity as well as other measures such as counseling and treatment. Drug testing policies have met with resistance in many communities. National organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have challenged them in court, saying the policies violate fourth amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. The United States Supreme Court has ruled in several cases that drug testing for student activities is not an invasion of privacy. Since 1985, the court has ruled that students give up some privacy rights when attending schools because the school is made responsible for their discipline, health and safety. In 2002, the court ruled that athletes and students involved in other extracurricular activities did not have a greater expectation of privacy. Since the testing, if conducted under confidentiality, is not a significant intrusion and since most drug testing policies do not involve criminal prosecution for positive results, drug testing does not constitute an invasion of privacy. However, the Washington State Supreme Court struck down a drug testing policy in March of this year, citing that a search without suspicion violated the state constitution, which provided a broader protection of privacy than the federal constitution. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy favors testing of students. John Waters, director of the ONDCP, said in a letter accompanying the office's report on the subject that to focus on concerns over privacy ignore the effectiveness of testing. "Testing has been shown to be extremely effective at reducing drug use in schools and businesses all over the country," Waters wrote. "As a deterrent, few methods work better or deliver clearer results. Drug testing of airline pilots and school bus drivers, for example, has made our skies and roads safer for travel." For now, a random drug testing policy in Goshen County is a long way off. English said the board and administration would likely discuss many different aspects of the policy as well as soliciting community input before implementing anything. The board would also look at how a testing policy might affect other anti-drug and alcohol efforts such as the Step Up youth coalition, and if faculty and staff should also be required to undergo drug testing. "It's pretty wide open right now," English said. "I think it will be a very slow process." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake