Pubdate: Thu, 30 Oct 2008 Source: Times Union (Albany, NY) Copyright: 2008 Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation Contact: http://www.timesunion.com/forms/emaileditor.asp Website: http://www.timesunion.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/452 Author: Scott Waldman Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) WHITE HOUSE ARGUES FOR SCHOOL DRUG TESTING Effort Predicts Less Drug Use, But Opponents Contend Federal Program Marginalizes At-Risk Students ALBANY - To drug test or not to test is a tough question for a school district. Proponents of a Bush administration initiative aimed at convincing more schools to give random drug tests to students came to Albany to argue their case before a roomful of educators. Protesters from the New York Civil Liberties Union tried to poke holes in their arguments during question-and-answer sessions with the speakers. Officials from the Albany school district and the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese schools were among the 50 educators from three states who attended the seminar. Speakers included an attorney who has written a book supporting testing, a school principal that aggressively tests student athletes and Dr. Dave Murray, chief scientist for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Testing, Murray said, is "a useful tool. It's an opportunity not to punish (drug users), but to give them help and counseling." Nationwide, more than 4,000 schools have instituted drug testing programs for students participating in extracurricular activities, according to White House figures. Since 2003, the office has awarded 136 grants worth $40 million to assist with implementation and development of existing student drug testing programs. Albany area school officials said they were at the presentation just to gather information and that such programs were not imminent. Cathy Golas, director of Prevention Services for the Albany Diocese schools, said more needs to be done to curb substance abuse at the high school level. "People are realizing it's not just telling kids not to do drugs and alcohol - you have to have strategies," Golas said. William Judge, co-author of the book "Doing It Right: Drug Free School Testing," said such programs only cost about $4,000 annually and give students an additional incentive not to cave into peer pressure. "You save one child, it's been worth it," Judge said. But Rahul Saksena, a NYCLU spokesman, said testing pushes many students out of activities that otherwise could keep them away from drugs. Districts that implement such policies face potential costly legal battles, he said. ""It has to be a more comprehensive solution," Saksana said. "These policies ruin the trust students have with their teachers." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin