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Dead Constitution See other Dead Constitution Articles Title: Cle Elum schools' random drug-testing plan draws fire Cle Elum schools' random drug-testing plan draws fire By JESSICA BLANCHARD Concerned parents and school officials in Cle Elum think they've found one way to help curb drug and alcohol use among students: random testing. The Cle Elum-Roslyn School District proposal to test teens involved in extracurricular activities has drawn fire from the American Civil Liberties Union and other critics, who say the testing amounts to an invasion of privacy. A School Board vote on the proposal could come as early as May 23. Parents in the rural, 1,000-student district became alarmed last fall, when 70 percent of high school students surveyed reported anonymously that illicit drugs were "easy to obtain." In the same survey, nine out of 10 students said they'd tried alcohol at least once. The survey -- and concerns about growing use of methamphetamine in rural areas -- led parents, district officials and students to form a task force to examine the issue. A few months ago, the task force recommended random drug testing as the best option to control substance abuse among teens. All high school students who participate in after-school sports or activities would be subjected to the tests. The district doesn't do any drug testing now, and a random program is estimated to cost between $1,200 and $1,500 a year, according to Superintendent Evelyn Nelson. That's "a pretty small amount of money to ensure the safety of our students and make sure they're getting help," Nelson said. So far, community reaction to the proposal has been more positive than negative, she said, and even some students concerned about the spread of drugs on campus support it. But a handful of opponents, including the Washington state chapter of the ACLU, hope to get the School Board to reject the policy. "We believe it violates the state constitution," ACLU spokesman Doug Honig said. Jock Young is one of a minority of parents opposing the policy. His 15-year-old daughter, Sierra, is a sophomore at Cle Elum-Roslyn High and participates in track, cross-country and tennis. He first heard of the proposal when his daughter brought home information sheets about the pending policy a few weeks ago. "I don't think it's an effective way to reduce drug use, and I don't think it's an effective use of the money," he said, also citing concerns about invasion of privacy. Instead of reining in substance use, random testing may cause more students to refrain from participating in sports or other school-sponsored after-school activities, Young said. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2002 paved the way for school districts to randomly drug-test students who participate in competitive after-school programs or teams. The high court found that schools' interest in keeping drugs off campus outweighs privacy rights. But in Washington, a state with strong privacy protections, only a few school districts conduct random drug tests of students. A 1997 testing policy adopted by the Burlington-Edison District in Skagit County was the model for Cle Elum's. Seattle Public Schools doesn't have a drug-testing program and doesn't plan to implement one any time soon, district spokesman Peter Daniels said. But the district's athletic policy does spell out consequences for students caught possessing or distributing illicit drugs or alcohol, he said. Students can be excluded from participating in their extracurricular activity for one calendar year, although first-time violators can have their penalty reduced if they complete a substance-abuse program that's approved by the district. Instead of random testing, the district has drug counselors on staff and works with other city and King County agencies. Seattle Public Schools participates in the same anonymous health surveys as the Cle Elum-Roslyn district, Daniels said, but the trend in Seattle shows students' use of alcohol and drugs is decreasing.
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