Voluntary Drug Tests OKd at City High Schools

In an attempt to win the battle against teen-age drug abuse, San Diego city schools trustees Tuesday unanimously approved voluntary student drug testing.

The program will involve seven high schools, making it the largest of its kind in the county. Coronado Unified School District and Fallbrook Union High School District earlier approved voluntary drug testing programs.

The program is viewed by school administrators as a way to help teens fend off peer pressure.

“This program is based on the concept that most kids don’t want to use drugs,” said Edward Fletcher, health services director for the San Diego Unified School District. “A lot of kids are forced into using drugs from their friends.”

The drug testing program would provide an excuse for the students to say no to drugs, Fletcher said.

Students who sign up for the program would participate in a weekly lottery. Community members would select three to seven students from each school every week. A hospital or a clinic would test those students, in the form of urinalysis, for traces of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.

Results would be revealed only to the students and their parents. Students would receive a letter from the hospital or clinic if they came out clean. If traces of drugs were found, a doctor would contact the parents to urge them to seek help for their children, Fletcher said.

“We would also want the parents to get involved in the drug classes,” he said.

The high schools would organize the weekly lottery, but teachers and administrators would not be made aware of the test results, Fletcher said.

The program could cost as much as $36,000 yearly, he said, and the district will seek the money from local businesses.

Trustee Kay Davis suggested in Tuesday’s board meeting that school principals seek help from Parent-Teacher Assn. members at their schools.

“I think that the PTA would really respond to something like this and help the schools raise the money,” Davis said.

Susan Davis, president of the board, said students might pay a registration fee to participate in the program.

The high schools that will be involved are Clairemont, Kearny, Mira Mesa, Patrick Henry, Point Loma, San Diego and University City. The principals from these schools expressed interest in the program.

School officials said surveys have strengthened the view that more tactics are needed to fight drug abuse.

In April, California Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp released a survey showing that more than half of all high school juniors had tried illegal drugs and more than 65% had been drunk.

Although volunteer drug testing is not seen as a cure-all, Fletcher said, it is one more tactic that might prevent some casual users from getting high.

“This is not going to help the hard-core drug user,” he said. “But it will help those that are easily persuaded by their peers.”