Lt. Gov. Davis Urges Random Drug Tests in Public Schools

Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, called Tuesday for random drug testing of public school students where parents and school districts agree.

Calling his education plan a “no-nonsense, tough love approach,” Davis said he envisions the state providing money to pay for the testing in school districts that agree to it. Test results would be given only to a student’s parents, who could choose to notify authorities.

“This is not designed to be an additional punitive tool,” said Davis, who described the proposal in an interview with Times reporters. “It is designed to try and catch young people early on and force them to face up to the consequences of their actions.”

Davis said that even if parents agreed to have their children tested, the students could decline the tests; school authorities would notify parents of that choice. He described the idea as part of an effort to make parents and students more responsible for education.

Like his one announced Democratic opponent, former Northwest Airlines Chairman Al Checchi, Davis is seizing education as a leading issue of his campaign, along with crime. Checchi’s campaign manager, Darry Sragow, calling for a comprehensive education plan, said Davis’ drug testing proposal is “playing around the edges. It’s not going to fix the problem.”

Key Democratic lawmakers and school lobbyists were cool to the idea advanced by a man who aspires to be their standard-bearer in the 1998 gubernatorial campaign.

“I thought people wanted government to be less intrusive,” said Sen. Dede Alpert (D-Coronado), chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee. “I don’t think this is a good direction. The schools’ job is to educate children.”

Assembly Education Committee Chairwoman Kerry Mazzoni (D-San Rafael) said: “I don’t want our schools looked upon as punitive. . . . I like to presume innocence. When we start randomly drug testing, we essentially are presuming guilt.”

Some Republicans embraced Davis’ idea.

“That has some merit as long as there is parental consent,” said Assemblyman Larry Bowler (R-Elk Grove), a member of the Assembly Education Committee. “We really don’t have a war on drugs. All we have is an occasional skirmish. When you go to war, you voluntarily give up some rights. . . . This would be a step toward going to war.”

Federal court decisions permit schools to test students who are athletes. School districts also have the authority to search students’ lockers for drugs or weapons. And police often carry out undercover investigations aimed at stopping drug sales on high school campuses.

But Davis proclaimed that random drug testing of junior high and high school students “would be the most ambitious program [aimed at stemming drug use in schools] ever undertaken in this state.” He said he patterned his idea after one recently begun in Dade County, Fla.

“Schools will not succeed without a much higher level of parental and student responsibility,” Davis said. “You can’t simply drop your kid off in the morning and pick him or her up in the afternoon and think you have discharged your obligations.”

The Democrat called for a “zero tolerance” policy for drugs or weapons on public school campuses and for violence against teachers. He advocated enhanced prison terms for anyone convicted of selling drugs to children, including life sentences for anyone who knowingly provides drugs to children 10 or younger.

Additionally, Davis called for a $3-billion effort to upgrade textbooks, more training for teachers and an end to “social promotions.” If students fail to learn what is required, they should be required to attend summer school, he said. If they still fail, they should be flunked.

Davis stopped short of coming out against an initiative on the June ballot that would limit bilingual education, but said he has “real reservations” about it.

“I welcome some of the goals [but] I think parents, not educators, should decide how a child is educated,” Davis said.