Pubdate: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 Source: National Public Radio (US) Copyright: 2003 National Public Radio Contact: http://www.npr.org/contact/ Website: http://www.npr.org/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1296 Anchor: Robert Siegel, Michele Norris Reporter: Brian Mann Cited: Office of National Drug Control Policy ( www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov ) Cited: American Civil Liberties Union ( www.aclu.org ) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) WHITE HOUSE EMBARKS ON NEW CAMPAIGN TO CONVINCE SCHOOLS TO REQUIRE DRUG TESTS FOR STUDENTS From NPR News, this is All Things Considered. I'm Robert Siegel. And I'm Michele Norris. The White House has embarked on a new campaign aimed at convincing more schools to require drug tests for students. The White House drug czar held a closed-door meeting yesterday with lawmakers, activists and educators. The Supreme Court has ruled that such testing is constitutional for students who are involved in competitive extracurricular activities. But so far, few educators have embraced the idea. NPR's Brian Mann reports. BRIAN MANN reporting: National drug czar John Walters is campaigning for a new drug-testing initiative in public schools. Mr. JOHN WALTERS (US Drug Czar): I go to schools where people are horrified at teen-agers dying of overdoses of heroin. I tell them drug-test. MANN: Only about 5 percent of school districts nationwide have launched random drug-testing programs. In a speech last week in Philadelphia, Walters said that has to change. Mr. WALTERS: Drug testing is a silver bullet. It will change this problem in this country as no other tool will. MANN: The White House is offering schools $2 million this year in drug-testing grants and hopes to budget $8 million for new programs next year. Yesterday, Walters gathered supporters to help launch a national drug-testing campaign, though his spokesman refused to disclose the location of the gathering or who was invited. Opponents of drug testing, like Charles McCormick, superintendent of the Kaneland School District west of Chicago, weren't included. Mr. CHARLES McCORMICK (Kaneland School District): It's going to be an abortion kind of issue, I think, where you're going to have people on one side or the other in a very contentious fashion. MANN: McCormick says drug testing is too expensive at a time when many schools are struggling just to pay teachers. Also the tests don't catch kids who are abusing alcohol, which most educators agree is the drug of choice among students. Some researchers also question where random drug testing cuts the use of marijuana. This spring a national study published in the Journal of School Health found virtually identical rates of marijuana use in schools that have drug testing and schools that don't. Mathea Falco, who runs a drug policy think tank called Drug Strategies, says the study offered strong evidence that kids aren't deterred by the risk of getting caught. Ms. MATHEA FALCO (Drug Strategies): Adolescents wish to experiment with all kinds of behaviors. Kids are especially prone to thinking that they can get away with it. MANN: By targeting children in extracurricular programs, Falco says schools also miss the kids who are most at risk for drug abuse. Activists on both sides of the drug testing debate are already pushing their message with educators. Graham Boyd with the American Civil Liberties Union says the ACLU has launched its own PR campaign. Mr. GRAHAM BOYD (American Civil Liberties Union): What we're doing is sending a pamphlet to every school board in America to let them know what the facts are. This is a policy that is not going to help children; if anything, it's going to hurt them. MANN: Boyd worries that kids will drop out of extracurricular programs to avoid drug testing. Testing advocates say there's no evidence that that happens. They point to smaller studies, including a research project at Oregon Health & Science University, as evidence that testing works. Lisa Brady is principal of Hunterdon High School in Flemington, New Jersey. Ms. LISA BRADY (Hunterdon High School): I definitely think that we have enough research that shows that these programs are deterrent programs, and I am fully supportive of this push at the national level. MANN: Drug testing began at Hunterdon High in 1997. Brady says surveys and student interviews show the tests have slowed drug use. Kids say they're afraid of getting caught, she says. But Brady also thinks many students use the tests as an excuse to say no when peers offer them drugs. Officials with the Office of National Drug Control Policy declined to be interviewed for this story, but drug czar John Walters says he'll push hard to convince more schools that drug testing works. Mr. WALTERS: We are going to aggressively push connecting the dots. It'll be done community by community, not by federal mandate. MANN: Some drug testing proponents hope yesterday's summit will help promote legislation, at least at the state level, that would force schools to launch drug testing programs. Opponents say the laws would be unpopular with local school boards, especially if they come without new funding. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin