HIGH SCHOOL STARTS RANDOM DRUG TESTING

Leaders Say It Helps Students Say No; Critics Say It's Costly, Invades Privacy

Charlotte Catholic High School has started randomly drug testing its students to help combat peer pressure, a controversial policy that's the first of its kind in the Charlotte area and rare in the Carolinas.

The school tested its first students two weeks ago, asking about three dozen to give urine samples.  While many parents and students agree with the idea, some argue that subjecting all students to testing for drugs and alcohol is a waste of money and invasion of privacy.

Administrators say the goal is to help students, not catch them.

"We want a drug-free school," said Charlotte Catholic Principal Jerry Healy.  The policy "was brought about with the hope that it would be one more crutch for a kid to say `no.' "

Education officials in the Carolinas say they know of only one other school with a similar policy.  Bishop McGuinness, a Catholic high school between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, started testing last year.

About a dozen public school districts in the Carolinas, including Union, Gaston, Lincoln, Hickory and Caldwell, do some form of testing.  But those tests typically apply only to athletes, cheerleaders or students driving to school.

Allowing all students to be tested is "extremely rare," according to the American Civil Liberties Union's Drug Law Reform Project.

In 2002, the U.S.  Supreme Court ruled that public schools can randomly test students who participate in extracurricular activities.  That expanded a 1995 ruling allowing schools to test only athletes, but stopped short of allowing testing of all students.

Since the Catholic schools are private and not run by the government, the Fourth Amendment's search and seizure laws do not apply, education advocates and ACLU lawyers said.

The ACLU fears that the increase in drug testing will lead to future requests for DNA and other personal data.  The group also worries the tests emphasize discipline over dialogue.

"The biggest concern is that it's a tool that doesn't work," said Graham Boyd, an ACLU lawyer, who argued the 2002 case before the Supreme Court.  "It doesn't reduce drug use, and it makes students feel like criminals.  That has all kinds of negative effects on the educational environment."

Conflicting results

Nationwide, about 45 percent of high school students drank alcohol during the past month, and 22 percent smoked pot.  That's according to a 2003 survey of more than 15,000 students in 32 states, complied by the U.S.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Studies on the effectiveness of schools' random drug tests show conflicting results.

At Charlotte Catholic, a former principal suggested the tests three years ago because a similar policy had been used successfully at a Philadelphia school where he had worked.  Charlotte Catholic worked with Bishop McGuinness to draft the policy.

"One of the things we thought would be a plus is that we were leading the charge," said Bishop McGuinness Principal George Repass.  "The schools have a responsibility in the face of this negative cultural influence."

Bishop McGuinness began testing last year.  Repass declined to share many details of the results, but said "there was no major negative reaction," and positive tests are rare.

Charlotte Catholic waited until this year -- Healy's second at the school -- so he had time to study the policy.

Healy said some parents worried the innocent would be treated as guilty and would miss class for drug tests.  But many said they support anything that keeps their kids from drugs.

Senior class president Matt McKenna said most students initially thought the school was "out to get people." Some felt like it stripped them of an adolescent right to experiment.  Now, most people understand the rationale, and the policy is working, he said.

"It's scaring people into not using drugs," McKenna said.

Freshman Bradley Nuebel, 15, said he was offered pot at a party earlier this year.  He never would have taken it, he said, but the new policy made it easier for others to accept his answer.

" `I can't do that,' " he recalls saying.  " `I could get drug tested.' "

But some thought the money should be spent on teacher raises or other school improvements.

"People are strong enough to say `no,' " said freshman Brennan Benfield.  "If they're not, that's what the teachers need to talk to the kids about."

Healy is also considering some changes.

The policy will be reviewed after the year, but he'd like to see offenders receive punishments similar to those caught using or possessing drugs at school.  In those cases, students face suspensions that would have to be cited on college applications.

"You want to be able to help people," Healy said, "but you also want to be able to hold them accountable."

The Tests

Here's how the drug testing works at Charlotte Catholic:

.  who gets picked?

A private company selects about 40 teens at a time from a list of student identification numbers.

.  How do the TESTS WORK?

Students fill out forms, listing any medications they take.  The dean of students goes with boys; the nurse accompanies girls.  The adults enter the bathroom, but stand aside.

If students test positive for any drugs the principal calls parents.  Students must see school-approved doctors for assessments and take three more random tests over the next three months.

.  how much does it cost?

The school pays for the first test, which costs about $40.  The student's family must pay for the next three.

.  What are Penalties?

Athletes would miss their next two games, but there are no other sanctions for first-time offenders.  A second strike during the three-month probation leads to expulsion.  After probation, it would lead to six months of counseling, random testing and suspension from school activities.  A third violation leads to expulsion.