Pubdate: Mon, 26 Jun 2006
Source: Northern Advocate (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2006 Northern Advocate
Contact: http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/info/letters/
Website: http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2929
Author: Evan Harding
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DRUG TESTS IN SCHOOL?

A Northland school which uses sniffer dogs to catch  student drug
users is now considering the rare move of  introducing random drug
testing.

A sniffer dog was taken into school after three  students were caught
smoking marijuana at  Maungaturoto's Otamatea High School recently.

The dog found one student with marijuana, an  unspecified number of
others with marijuana residue and  places where the drug had been hidden.

Otamatea High School is promising future random visits  from sniffer
dogs, and has now taken the unusual step  of asking the students'
parents if they want random  drug testing at the school.

Feedback from about 25 parents since the question was  posed on Monday
had found all in favour, principal  Haydn Hutching said.

Michael Vincent-Tovine, who has a daughter at the  school, was all for
the move. "I just hate the stuff.  School isn't the place for drugs,"
he said.

Both the Ministry of Education and New Zealand Schools  Trustees
Association praised Otamatea High School for  seeking parent feedback
before making a decision.

"They have obviously seen drugs as a problem and  there's no better
way to try and solve that problem  than by bringing the community on
board," said Chris  Haines, president of the trustees
association.

Ministry spokesman Vince Cholewa said all schools had  the right to
introduce random drug testing as long as  it complied with the Bill of
Rights.

Mr Hutching believed drug use at his school was no  worse than at any
other, but they wanted to deter  students and make a safe environment
for everyone at  the school.

"If we get (stoned) kids using things like drop-saws  and lathes it's
a huge issue," Mr Hutching said.

Board of Trustees chairman Murray Cullen was also in  support, adding
he "would be happy" for his own  children to be randomly drug tested.

But the board first wanted to see how parents  responded.

"If they're in favour we'll seriously consider it,  that's for sure.
We don't want drugs in the school, and  we're aware that it doesn't
matter how many rules we  put in place, if kids want to sneak it in
they will  sneak it in," he said.

Sniffer dogs and random drug testing would present a  "random risk
factor for the kids that carry", he said.

It would also allow other students to avoid peer  pressure when
offered drugs. "They can say 'no, we've  got random drug testing at
school and I might get  kicked out'," Mr Hutching said.

Otamatea High School had considered introducing sniffer  dogs for a
year and when police were unable to provide  one they hired their own,
at their own expense. It had  given the school a snapshot of the drug
problem on a  particular day.

Mr Cullen had no evidence of drugs other than marijuana  at his
school, but said: "I am sure there's other stuff  around."

The Otamatea High School students stood down for drug  taking had
since returned to school after subsequent  tests revealed they were
clean. They would now be  monitored.
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MAP posted-by: Derek