Pubdate: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 Source: Seattle Times (WA) Copyright: 2006 The Seattle Times Company Contact: http://www.seattletimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409 Author: Lynn Thompson, Times Snohomish County Bureau Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Lake Stevens MANY AT SCHOOL SUPPORT DRUG TESTS Rumors about high levels of drug use at Lake Stevens High School reached football captain Robert Castaneda over the past few years in the form of a question: Is it true that Lake Stevens is a drug school? Last week, the Lake Stevens School Board voted unanimously to implement a random drug-testing program for student athletes and those in other after-school activities, becoming the first Snohomish County district to do so. "I think it's a good idea," said Castaneda, a senior, who was preparing for the upcoming football season the old-fashioned way -- by lifting weights. "Now we'll know that no one is trying to cheat to win." District officials estimate that about 600 students out of 2,200 at the high school will be subject to the urinalysis tests that will start in September. In addition to athletes, the testing program will include students in band, cheerleading, dance, student government and other activities sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Some details of the testing remain undecided, including how long students who test positive will be suspended from school. It likely will be between 14 days and one month, said Superintendent Dave Burgess. Technicians from a Seattle lab will administer the tests in a secured faculty bathroom. Students will provide the sample in the privacy of a bathroom stall. The results will be shared only with a school drug-and-alcohol counselor, an designated administrator and a student's parents. Students who test positive will be referred for a professional drug assessment and will have to meet the conditions of treatment to return to their activity. A follow-up test will be required within a month. Tests won't screen for alcohol. Students at Lake Stevens High School have largely supported the testing program, first proposed in May. ASB President Tam To said drug use is a problem at the school and needs to be addressed. "We're taking the initiative. It's going to change the whole environment of our school," she said. Lake Stevens administrators took note when the state's Healthy Youth Survey in 2004 showed a jump in illegal drug use by high-school students. Students surveyed also said they thought access to drugs was easy and that the community didn't care. The district estimates that the testing program will cost about $10,000 per year. A federal Safe and Drug Free School Grant from the U.S. Department of Education will cover the first year's costs, and the district will pursue additional grants, said spokeswoman Arlene Hulten. The Bush administration has awarded about $9.8 million to school districts and drug-abuse-prevention agencies to administer drug tests, the Education Department says. But the effectiveness and legality of student drug testing are still debated. The state's branch of the American Civil Liberties Union has challenged testing programs in Kittitas and Wahkiakum counties, saying they violate privacy guarantees in the state constitution. But a Wahkiakum Superior Court judge in June ruled in favor of the school district, saying the district has the authority and responsibility to protect the health and safety of students. The ACLU has asked the state Supreme Court to review the decision. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman