Posted on: Sunday, September 26, 2004
Mid-Pacific may allow student drug testing
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Staff Writer
After flirting with the possibility of student drug testing two years ago, Hawai'i may have found its first test case at Mid-Pacific Institute.
Officials at the private college-preparatory school in Manoa say they're a month away from a decision to proceed with a voluntary program that would start in January.
"All indications point to overwhelming support," said Joe Rice, president of Mid-Pacific, who said he has met with student government leaders, the Parent Teacher Organization, faculty and community members.
He said the reaction has been "99.5 percent supportive."
Under the proposed program, middle and high school students would be tested only if they agreed and their parents agreed. Urine samples would be taken from randomly selected students, and the testing company would notify only parents of test results. There would be no ramifications at school for failing a drug test.
If the program gets off the ground, school administrators and government officials across Hawai'i will be observing closely to see how it works.
"I'm going to be watching the situation with lots of interest," said Lou Salza, head of ASSETS School in Honolulu and president of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools. Salza said he's sure school administrators will be curious to see if there's anything at Mid-Pacific that will benefit their schools.
Hawai'i Catholic Schools Superintendent Carmen Himenes said she, too, is interested. She said her administrators looked at the issue on previous occasions and rejected it for a variety of reasons.
"But we may revisit it in the future," she said.
Student drug testing has grown in popularity across the country in recent years, buoyed by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the latest in 2002, when the high court upheld the authority of schools to test students who participate in extracurricular activities such as sports. President Bush has proposed a tenfold increase in federal money going to schools that wish to put drug testing into effect.
In Hawai'i, the prospect of student drug testing first made headlines two years ago when Senate President Robert Bunda, D-22nd (North Shore, Wahiawa), brought up the idea in a speech
to the Senate. Gov. Linda Lingle followed with an endorsement in her State of the State address.
Bunda wrote a bill to establish a drug-testing pilot project at several public high schools, making the tests mandatory for students who participate in school athletics or other "physically strenuous" activities.
But the legislation hit a few snags, including opposition from those who testified that drug testing would keep students away from extracurricular activities rather than from drugs.
The Mid-Pacific program, patterned after one at San Clemente High School in California, has no ties to extracurricular activities. As proposed, it is strictly voluntary and discreet, with no consequences for the school to deal with. That's left to the parents.
Proponents say one of the best things about the program is how students could more easily fend off peer pressure over drugs. They can simply decline the offer of drugs, blaming their parents for signing them up for the program.
Not that Mid-Pacific and its student body of 1,320 has a major drug problem, said Rice, but he would be naive to think there isn't drug use.
Rice said the school has been looking at options for several years, including mandatory drug testing, testing of athletes, drug-sniffing dogs and educational programs.
"We have a responsibility to the community. I feel like we can be partners with the parents," said Rice, adding that the school can be a resource of information for available treatment, counseling and support groups.
At a meeting with nearly 70 parents Tuesday, speakers included Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, who is a Mid-Pacific parent, and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona. Both men support student drug testing and urged the parents to embrace the program because other schools would jump on board.
"It would be a very brave thing for them to do, taking a leadership role and showing other schools how to be drug-free," Carlisle said later.
At the meeting, most of the parents indicated support in a show of hands.
But Pam Lichty, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai'i, said the school is following the wrong path. There are more effective approaches to drug education, she said.
"We believe prevention is the best course," she said. "You don't need to know what's in the bloodstream to know if you're having a problem with drugs."
Drug testing can cause low morale and student mistrust, Lichty said. No matter how hard you try to make such a program confidential, the word still gets out, she said. "What does it say when your school doesn't trust its students?" she said.
Clinical psychologist Gerald Brouwers, who has a daughter in eighth grade at Mid-Pacific, said the latest research indicates there's no difference in drug use between schools with or without student drug testing. He said the school should focus its resources on the students who actually have a problem.
Noren Kawakami, president of the Mid-Pacific Parent Teacher Organization, said the program is "not a done deal" because many parents haven't formed an opinion yet.
"Some people have made up their minds. Some people I have talked to still have a lot of questions," Kawakami said.
Gail Tsuruda, another PTO board member, said the program sounds like a good idea, but she wants to hear more about it.
On Friday, the school declined to allow students to be interviewed on the issue, in part because not all of the students have been told all the facts about the program.
Rice said he hopes to schedule more meetings with parents in the next month to make sure they fully understand the benefits of the program.
"It's hard to see a downside with this," he said.
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
