Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 Source: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) Copyright: 2005 The Oregonian Contact: http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/324 Author: Aimee Green Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) WEST LINN-WILSONVILLE SCHOOL BOARD RETHINKS RANDOM TESTING FOR STUDENT SUBSTANCE ABUSE A Lawyer Advises Caution, And The Superintendent Suggests Other Strategies Against Alcohol And Drugs WEST LINN -- School officials should use Breathalyzer tests on a student only when they have a "reasonable suspicion" that the student has been abusing alcohol, the West Linn-Wilsonville School Board decided Monday. Board members said they opposed randomly testing students for alcohol at after-school games, dances or any other time. West Linn High School administrators stepped up efforts to address student substance abuse at school events last fall by giving Breathalyzer tests to students chosen randomly from crowds at two home football games. After questions about the legality of random testing arose at last month's meeting, the school board decided to reconsider the issue. Peter Mersereau, the district's lawyer, said last month that if the board wanted random substance abuse testing of students to continue, it could pass a policy. But Monday, the board received a letter from Mersereau advising the district not to randomly test students because the law is unclear about when such tests are permissible. Mersereau also wrote that random tests could affect staff and student morale and could spur lawsuits. Board member Pat Hanlin said that he opposed random substance abuse testing and that it appeared other board members and Superintendent Roger Woehl also opposed it. Hanlin asked Woehl why students were randomly tested for alcohol at West Linn High in the first place. "The question is how we got here," Hanlin said. "Why did we do it? Why did it happen? Was it under the radar?" Woehl said after the meeting that he had been unaware until Monday night that Breathalyzer tests were administered randomly to students last fall. He said he had known only that there was a controversy over whether the district should conduct random testing. vThe Breathalyzer controversy overshadowed other efforts to curb student drinking and drug problems, which are not unique to West Linn, he said. "That's why we have someone wanting to put this on TV -- it's become such a hot topic," Woehl said, referring to a local cameraman filming the discussion Monday night. In a memo to the school board, Woehl questioned the use of random testing and recommended that the district focus on six strategies to combat substance abuse, ranging from working with parents to emphasizing healthy behaviors through the district's health and character education programs. Woehl recommended that the district use Breathalyzer tests if school officials have a "reasonable suspicion" that a student has been using alcohol or drugs. Board member Bonnie Faddis said she would like school staff to be trained to recognize students who are abusing alcohol or drugs. Board members asked administrators to incorporate Breathalyzer tests based on "reasonable suspicion" into the district's drug and alcohol policy. The board will vote on the wording at its next regular meeting, Feb. 7. The board also asked administrators to give members an overview of the district's existing drug and alcohol curriculum next month. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin