Pubdate: Sun, 05 Jul 2009 Source: Boston Globe (MA) Copyright: 2009 Globe Newspaper Company Contact: http://bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340 Website: http://www.boston.com/globe/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52 Author: Brendan Hall, Globe Correspondent STUDENTS TAKE LEAD IN ANTIDRUG EFFORT USING AT-HOME TESTS In Arlington, Athletes Urge Peers To Take At-Home Tests In most schools, the message about drug prevention is sent from the top down. Be it a school assembly, a class demonstration, or a guest lecture, it’s usually the adults doing the talking. Arlington High School is trying out a new method: Let the students speak for themselves. In May, athletic director Ted Dever asked five student-athletes to help institute a new campaign created by First Check Diagnostics, a Waltham company that produces at-home drug tests. “Let Me Prove It’’ has students solicit peers to take home a free kit and prove they are living a drug-free lifestyle. Some observers have raised privacy and other concerns, but a number of local school officials are enthusiastic about the program. “I’m not naive. I understand that a lot of kids are out there doing different things,’’ Dever said. “This is a way of saying, ‘Hey, you got a B in math, show your report card.’ ’’ The program is just getting underway in Malden, but in Arlington it has been embraced. The five “ambassadors’’ have recruited about three dozen students to take the tests. The ambassadors first take the tests and share the results with their parent or guardian. Together, they sign a certificate saying the drug test is negative and return it to the company’s program coordinators, who keep the results confidential. The student ambassadors in turn encourage peers to self-test as well. “There’s more incentive to do it because it’s student-led,’’ Dever said. “Their friends are doing it because they led them. It also creates a positive relationship with the parent.’’ But others are skeptical about the program, questioning the validity of the testing and whether students may feel compelled to tamper with the results. “It’s not so much a legal issue as it is a policy and healthcare issure,” said Sarah Wunsch, with the Masschusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. “It’s not that the ACLU doesn’t care about the issue of teens using drugs and alcohol. This is a gimmick that could have unintended consequences. I don’t think it’s a good idea; it serves more to promote the company.’’ For adolescents, she said, drug testing is “the worst thing to do. They think it’s an invasion of privacy. People who have studied these issues suggest that if parents have concerns, they should be talking to their . . . doctor.” Pat O’Neill, an Arlington High senior who plays football and lacrosse, said no one has objected to his canvassing attempts. “I’ve handed out all 10 of my original tests, and I’ve got a new batch,’’ he said. “It’s picking up steam.’’ Participants are given a three-step urine test that checks for five prescription medications and seven illicit drugs, yielding results in five minutes. There is plenty of incentive, too. In addition to winning iTunes gift cards, students who solicit the most peers are eligible to receive college scholarships, ranging from $500 to $2,000 for the top performers, provided by First Check Diagnostics. To Dever, the idea made sense when representatives from First Check approached him this spring. Having just completed his second year as Arlington’s athletic director, following a tenure as a guidance counselor at the school, his focus is often more about character than wins and losses, he said. “When I interview a coach about a vacancy, or for an evaluation, the first question is always, what can you do as a leader of youth to combat drugs and alcohol,’’ said Dever, who also coached Winchester High’s boys’ ice hockey squad to the Super 8 semifinals this season. “Some, unfortunately, are not prepared to answer that question. That’s more important to me than winning a state championship.’’ More students at Arlington are lining up to be ambassadors than anticipated. The program was intended to be carried out by five seniors, but Dever said he has a group of sophomores waiting to take the reins. The marketing manager for First Check, Kate Viniello, says the company has targeted several area schools for the next year, including Burlington, Somerville, Waltham, and Watertown. “We’re looking to see how our pilot program goes,’’ she said. “But we’ve received a lot of feedback.’’ Meanwhile, the program has just broken ground at Malden High School, where one student has committed to being an ambassador while several others are considering a request to take part. The program is being handled through the guidance department, where counselors are on board and have the backing of the administration. “I’ve been doing work like this for 38 years, and I’ve never been approached before for a program like this,’’ said George Lyons, a student adjustment counselor at Malden High for more than three decades. “They’re approaching it from a positive side, not a negative side, and there are a number of kids that don’t use. I think it’s well worth a try, and we’re supporting it.’’ Said fellow counselor Van Huynh, “We’re praising the ones that are doing the right thing. The principal supports us, the mayor’s office is supporting us, we support the program even though it’s only a trial.’’ To Lyons, the program is something worth trying as an alternative to past approaches, from annual visits by counselors to speeches from prison inmates and lectures from former students about the recovery process. “I think this might be a better approach, getting kids on board,’’ Lyons said. “I think you’ll know within the year if something is worth continuing, but we certainly support it.’’ - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr