Seven high schools could start drug tests

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Just four months after a high school in Henderson became the state’s first public campus to randomly test student-athletes for drugs and alcohol, the Clark County School District is planning to expand the program.

The School Board on Thursday is expected to approve an application for $450,000 in federal funding for a three-year project that would begin in July. The first six months would be spent on planning and development, with random testing to begin in January at seven high schools — Centennial, Del Sol, Desert Pines, Durango, Eldorado, Foothill and Mojave.

Green Valley High School launched its own pilot program in January after Principal Jeff Horn had a committee of staff members, students, parents and mental health professionals put it together. The seven high schools proposed for the expanded pilot program will be expected to do the same, said Lauren Kohut-Rost, the district’s deputy superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

“If they can’t garner the support, it won’t happen,” Kohut-Rost said. “For this to work, everyone has to be on the same page.”

At the schools where the testing is adopted, the district plans to track overall results on a monthly basis, with a breakdown by sport, gender and drug type.

Several private high schools in Clark County, including Bishop Gorman and Faith Lutheran, have had random drug testing of all students for several years.

Proponents say random testing serves as a deterrent, helps schools identify students in crisis and gives kids an excuse to say no without losing face with their peers. Opponents say the at-risk students who often benefit the most from involvement in school activities and sports drop out rather than risk being tested. In 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld random drug testing of students participating in sports and other extracurricular activities. But public schools cannot require testing of all students. At Green Valley, parents can opt to have their children added to the pool.

Allen Lichtenstein, senior attorney for the Nevada American Civil Liberties Union, called expansion of the district’s program “disturbing.” “The evidence does not legitimately uphold the idea that these programs do anything at all,” he said.

“Whether it’s federal or local money, those dollars could be going toward important functions, like hiring teachers and reducing class sizes,” Lichtenstein said. “It’s unfortunate that this is what we’re spending our money on.”

Green Valley’s program is funded through community donations, but if the grant application is approved, the school would be eligible to spend some of those federal dollars.

Horn said the program has been strongly supported by many parents and even some students. Since January, at least six Green Valley students have tested positive for alcohol or marijuana, out of about 150 tests conducted, Horn said. Exact figures won’t be available until the drug testing lab submits a final report at the end of the semester.

Ron Lustig, principal of Eldorado, said he volunteered his school for the federally funded program because he believes random drug testing can be a valuable tool for educators and families.

“It’s a proactive way to help address an issue that seems to permeate our city,” Lustig said. “This would hopefully make students think twice before they make poor decisions or succumb to social pressures.”