Pubdate: Sun, 06 Feb 2005
Source: Lowell Sun (MA)
Copyright: 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.lowellsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/852
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

TREATMENT AND TESTING

Hand-In Hand Response

Salem Superintendent of Schools Herbert Levine is a man with a cause, and
he's pushing hard to make random drug testing a routine occurrence in Salem
public schools.

Levine, whose son Joel became addicted to OxyContin while in high school, is
convinced that random testing will serve as an effective deterrent to drug
use in schools and help stop its spread.

He is most likely correct, although the American Civil Liberties Union is
opposed to his approach and predicts it will die in court once challenged.

But Levine, the former principal of Chelmsford High School, believes his
argument needs to be heard and refuses to buckle to such threats. "Society
is not doing enough about this problem," he told The Sun (Saturday, Jan.
22). As a father, Levine surely knows the problems associated with drug
abuse.

As an administrator, he's also aware of the limitations of drug testing as
opposed to civil rights.

He's hoping to at least open the subject up for more general discussion. His
campaign has made news nationally, so that goal is being reached. There are
privacy issues with random drug testing, just as there are with locker
searches.

Many parents and their teenagers stridently oppose them. At the same time,
students easily recognize the problems caused by drug and alcohol use. Many
of them see the value of Levine's idea, but they also realize the kind of
atmosphere that random drug testing will create within their peer group.
And, while they may not be old enough to vote, they are due respectful
treatment as citizens.

"You don't trust me," Levine's troubled son accused. Well, that's right.

A parent doesn't and shouldn't trust a child who is using drugs or alcohol.

Trust has to be earned.

It's not a right. So there's a real problem here.

One can choose to view such testing as no different from metal detectors at
school entrances meant to keep students safe from harm. Or, one can view
drug testing as a process conveying an assumption of guilt, threatening to
single out some students unfairly.

One school administrator considers random testing a way to identify students
who need help. That's true, but we also notice that most schools' drug and
alcohol policies within the Greater Lowell region do not list getting "help"
as part of the official response to violations of their substance policies.

They are almost uniformly punitive; only four of 15 districts questioned
brought up the issue of drug treatment or counseling as part of the needed
response. That's not good enough.

Yes, alcohol and drug abuse are seriously dangerous issues among young
adults and middle-school students.

Every year, it seems, the numbers get worse as more (and younger) students
test their mettle by experimenting with drugs.

But if suspension and expulsion are the best these school districts can come
up with, then random drug testing is not about "helping" anyone who needs
it. Students who are into drugs and alcohol need assistance while they are
young and more readily influenced. Peer counseling, drug counseling,
networks for help and referrals all are a critical part of recovery.

Even in schools that do offer some form of counseling, a student may have to
take an unexcused absence from class to attend counseling; that's a no-win
situation. Substance abuse is not only about the school's atmosphere, as
Levine well knows. Parents, educators and students need to examine Levine's
proposal and watch Salem carefully.

If Salem is going to do it, the schools will be challenged. And they may
even win. But in their minds, throughout, should be the need to heal abusing
students as much as the need to protect innocent students from their
influence. We are not dealing with hardened criminals here. Let's at least
address all aspects of substance abuse before we erase civil rights.
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MAP posted-by: Josh