A member of a task force promoting mandatory drug testing in schools shows a method used to smoke OxyContin. He said he found the remnants of the drug outside a local business.
Should the Juneau School District adopt the proposed drug testing program?
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See related story:
ACLU: Proposed drug testing is unconstitutional
Web link:
Drug Testing Task Force recommendations to the Juneau School Board (PDF)
Know and go
What: School Board meeting to discuss drug testing in high schools.
When: Tuesday, 6:15 p.m.
Where: Juneau-Douglas High School commons area.
Mandatory drug testing protocols
Recommendations to the School Board:
• Apply to students participating in competitive sports at the high school level.
• Include illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
• Test 10 percent of athletes in an active sports season each week.
• Select names through confidential lottery by the superintendent's office.
• Use laboratory personnel to test on school grounds.
• Test samples of urine, saliva or breath.
• Use cut-off levels established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Use a licensed physician or osteopath to review positive test results and contact the parent and student within 48 hours.
• Allow students who believe a positive result is due to a prescription medication to challenge results and provide medical information to the doctor.
• Any level of alcohol present constitutes a positive test result.
• Tobacco includes chew and similar products.
• Notify the student and a parent of a positive test result. The student and parent can explain results confidentially to the doctor, or to the principal.
• A student can request a re-test of the original sample within 72 hours of a positive result. The student pays for it, and is reimbursed if the result is reversed.
• Students can make a written request for a copy of the results.
• Students and a parent or guardian must sign a consent form that allows the district to do the testing.
Story last updated at 8/10/2009 - 11:34 am
A task force set up to look at testing high school students for drugs is recommending the district immediately begin randomly testing student athletes for drugs, alcohol and tobacco, as well as start a voluntary program for other students.
The school district released the task force's recommendations Thursday.
In addition to the two testing programs, the task force recommends a wide range of education and outreach for students and parents.
The School Board will take public comment on the recommendations Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.
The task force was set up in June after a group called Taking Action presented the School Board a petition with more than 1,200 signatures asking for mandatory drug testing of high school students. Accompanying the petition were a dozen support letters signed by a majority of coaches in the district.
"I think we've come up with a great program," said Jeff Duvernay, who represented Taking Action on the task force. "I think we reached consensus and that we didn't all agree on everything but collectively, we've come forth with a lot more than we were tasked with."
The task force met every week for seven weeks to develop the recommendations. The 48-page document is available here.
After its first meeting, the task force decided to look into means beyond testing athletes to address drug use among students.
"We were set to evaluate the random drug testing program and through numerous discussions we identified that it's a piece of the puzzle," Duvernay said. "I believe it's the most important first step but overall, we need to educate, we need to train and we need to allow for others to participate in a drug testing program."
The mandatory program would apply to all students participating in competitive athletics at the high school level. Testing would include alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs and would be done by laboratory personnel.
Recommended punishments for failing a test range from suspension from a sport for the season to expulsion from sports for the remainder of a high school career. Substance abuse assessments and completing treatment programs could reduce the punishments.
The task fore recommended the school district further study punishments and consider those used by the Alaska School Activities Association, which are generally less strict.
Policies for the voluntary program were not fully developed, but task force members said its purpose would be to provide the ability to avoid negative peer pressure by giving students the power to say no. It could change the current attitude and school culture toward drugs and alcohol, they said in the recommendations.
After researching both mandatory and voluntary programs over the course of the summer, task force member Amy Skilbred said she decided to support only a voluntary program for Juneau.
"Voluntary programs retain or keep parental decision making ... both in talking to their child about whether they should sign up for the program and deciding what are the appropriate consequences for their child if there is a positive test result," said Skilbred, who is a school district coach and a parent.
Voluntary programs also eliminate questions about potential legal challenges, she said, citing the expense of fighting the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"I'm not saying a mandatory testing program would or wouldn't win in a legal challenge, but why put forth the mandatory program when we could end up spending a significant amount of money on defending it?"
Skilbred said a mandatory program could pit parents against school administrators, with parents trying to protect their child from consequences the school wants to impose.
Duvernay, a 30-year resident, business owner and president of Gastineau Channel Little League, said he has no concerns about how the task force recommendations would be received by the community.
"While there are some opposing views, the majority of the people I've spoken to fully support this," he said. "They understand what's at stake. ... With very little effort (Taking Action) was able to obtain 1,200 signatures in our petition drive in only 30 days. That's some real unity."
Testing athletes at both high schools would cost $31,548 a year, the task force estimated.
The voluntary program could be rewards-based, meaning students would get perks for signing up. Its cost would depend on how many signed up and what percentage of those were tested. The task force estimated an annual cost of $5,700 if 300 students signed up, and $64,500 for 1,500 students, plus $15,000 in personnel costs.
The School Board is expected to make decisions about the recommendations this month, and the new programs could be put in place this school year.
• Contact reporter Kim Marquis at 523-2279 or kim.marquis@juneauempire.com.
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