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PV District Touts Benefits of Drug-Testing Program
Alison Stanton | Arizona Republic | 09/05/2006

More than 600 Paradise Valley Unified School District students underwent drug tests last school year, according to recent reports.

But that number probably will increase as more parents take advantage of the district's 14-year-old random drug-testing program, a school official said.

"Overall, the program is going very well," said Jim Lee, the district's director of student services. "From a parent perspective, it might be a way to give a kid a reason to say 'no' and reduce peer pressure, and to increase the lines of communication."

Only a handful of Arizona school districts, including Queen Creek, Show Low and Chandler, have random drug testing.

The Phoenix Union, Glendale Union and Deer Valley Unified school districts do not operate drug-testing programs. But Paradise Valley has long led the pack of those pushing for the drug tests to curb substance abuse among teens.

Students, such as athletes, cheerleaders and musicians, who participate in after-school activities can be subject to random drug testing, according to a 2002 ruling by the Supreme Court. But few districts have enforced the testing of high school students because of the expense and the fear of lawsuits.

Paradise Valley spends about $33,000 annually on its testing program. Last school year, it became one of the first districts in the state to randomly test middle school students.

The district annually draws about 1,000 athletes' names from its five high schools. Of those, about 450 students are tested, Lee said.

Parents also can request that their children be added to the list of those participating in extracurricular sports or activities for random testing.

About 60 of those students have been tested since the Maricopa County Attorney's Office funded this enhancement in November.

Fifty parents of middle school and high school students also requested vouchers for lab drug tests and 60 received at-home drug tests. The at-home test checks for cocaine, marijuana and opiates, such as heroin and methamphetamine.

School administrators, parents and coaches called for the initial round of student drug tests, which underscored the need for a random drug-testing program, Lee said.

"When the results came back, they were not only for drugs like marijuana, but also substances like steroids," he said. "We had a substance abuse problem."

The school principal and district director of student services are the only school officials who view drug test results. They contact parents.

"There's no disciplinary action on the part of the school and also no involvement from law enforcement," he said. "We never see it as a 'gotcha' mechanism. We see it as a proactive way to drug education."

Lee said most parents are grateful for the program, even when the results come back positive.

"They are very concerned and frightened and want to provide corrective action and help."

Ultimately, it's about offering parents a way to help children with substance abuse issues, Lee said.

Staff writer Ray Parker contributed to this report. A version of this story may have appeared in your community Republic.