Pubdate: Sun, 14 Sep 2008
Source: Tribune, The (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Copyright: 2008 The Tribune
Contact:  http://www.sanluisobispo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/391
Author: Nick Wilson
Cited: San Luis Coastal school board http://www.slcusd.org/pages/schoolboard
Cited: ACLU http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/testing/index.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?237 (Drug Dogs)

SAN LUIS COASTAL TO REVIEW RANDOM DRUG-SEARCH PLANS

The San Luis Coastal school board is expected Tuesday to discuss two 
separate proposals to perform random searches using drug-sniffing 
dogs on campus and random testing for students participating in all 
extracurricular activities.

The proposals, if approved, would make San Luis Coastal the fourth 
school district in the county to test students for drugs.

But it would be the largest district to do so. Paso Robles, Shandon 
and Templeton schools drug-test athletes before allowing 
participation in sports.

Board member Kathryn Eisendrath-Rogers said she wanted the district 
to look into the idea because she was alarmed at the numbers of San 
Luis Coastal students who reported using drugs and alcohol.

Statistics on substance abuse were accumulated in fall 2007 as part 
of the California Healthy Kids Survey. The annual survey asks fifth, 
seventh, ninth and 11th graders about their own, their parents' and 
their friends' experiences with alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs and 
sex, as well as safety at school and other lifestyle issues.

About 73 percent of the district's high school freshmen and 62 
percent of juniors participated in the survey, according to district 
Student Services Director Jackie Kirk-Martinez. Parents must approve 
student participation.

Of the freshmen, 18 percent reported using marijuana at least once 
and 11 percent said they had used it in the 30 days prior to the 
survey, Kirk- Martinez said.

Of the high school juniors, 42 percent reporting using marijuana at 
least once and 24 percent reported using the drug in the prior 30 days.

The proposals could raise legal issues. Because drug searches could 
lead to lawsuits from students and their families, district officials 
suggest that the school board have its legal counsel review any 
proposed policies before they are implemented.

The proposed use of drug-sniffing dogs on school property apparently 
presents more legal obstacles than random testing, officials said.

The district's staff report to the board on the issue notes that the 
state Attorney General's Office ruled against a similar proposal in 
November 2000 that would have allowed school administrators to use 
dogs to sniff students' personal belongings and then search their 
possessions without their consent.

"The attorney general concluded that school administrators may not 
implement such a policy," district Personnel Services Director Rick 
Robinett wrote.

The American Civil Liberties Union also has threatened to sue school 
districts that use drug-sniffing dogs on campuses. Such a policy 
could be a Fourth Amendment search-and-seizure violation, according 
to the organization.

The U. S. Supreme Court has found in a case involving a school 
district that a drug problem must be severe before a search of any 
type is warranted, according to San Luis Coastal officials.

But random drug testing for students in extracurricular activities 
has been upheld in cases brought before the high court, according to 
the district staff report to the board.

Testing in sports, and possibly other extracurricular activities, is 
the option with seemingly fewer legal challenges.

Eisendrath-Rogers said that when she brought the issue before 
district officials, she initially suggested only that student 
athletes be tested on school campuses.

"Peers and other kids tend to look up to those students," she said. 
"We already ask them to sign a contract (stating they won't use 
drugs). We're not trying to create a police state here as much as to 
help them avoid peer pressure."

The cost of any drug search program hasn't yet been determined.

But Eisendrath-Rogers said: "You can't put a dollar figure" on saving 
a student from the downfalls of drug abuse.

[sidebar]

MEETING TUESDAY

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District board is set to discuss 
two separate plans to perform random drug searches and drug testing 
for extracurricular activities when it meets at 7 p. m. Tuesday at 
Los Osos Middle School, 1555 El Moro Ave. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake