Whitefish debates drug tests in schools

Random, mandatory drug testing may be the way to curb student drug and alcohol use in Whitefish, but school board members aren't yet convinced that it's the best solution.

Trustees left a work session Tuesday night with more questions than answers about a proposed drug-testing policy at Whitefish High School. About 100 people attended the four-and-a-half-hour meeting to discuss a proposal that would, if approved by the board, require urinalysis testing of all students participating in extracurricular activities. Students also would have to submit to random drug testing throughout the season.

The proposed policy has proved emotional and controversial, drawing praise and criticism from parents, counselors and other Whitefish citizens. More than 200 people attended a community forum on the issue earlier this month.

Comments at Tuesday's meeting ranged from supporting the proposal as-is to suggesting alternatives, including for-cause, suspicion-based testing or voluntary, random testing. The board requested information about all three testing options and will continue discussions May 13 at its next regular meeting.

Whatever policy the board enacts should be based on fact, not emotion, Whitefish psychiatrist Michael Newman said.

The trouble is that the facts, derived from several recent drug-test studies, can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Studies conducted in Oregon, New Jersey and Michigan seem to offer conflicting information regarding drug testing's effectiveness, but the studies actually measure different things, he said.

THE ISSUE is bigger than drug testing, Newman said.

Changing the culture from one that deems student drug and alcohol use acceptable is the bigger challenge, he said. It's something the community as a whole ought to take on.

"As I see it, this is not the school's responsibility," Newman said. "It's great that they're taking it on, but it's not their responsibility."

Whitefish resident Jeff Gilman agreed.

As a parent, he said, it is up to him to teach his children right from wrong. It's up to the school to keep drugs and alcohol off campus and to enforce the substance-use policies already in place, he added.

Jeff Bailey, who supports the proposed policy, said he wonders if the district is doing all it could to enforce existing drug and alcohol rules.

"As much as I would like to implement the policy … maybe we should give teeth to the policy that we have," he said. "Maybe we're leap-frogging a little bit."

Random drug testing will give the existing policy teeth, assistant football coach Scott Strellnauer said. Currently student athletes sign a contract agreeing not to use drugs or alcohol; random testing might give them one more reason to adhere to those contracts.

Testing might "help kids who maybe are swayed by peer pressure," he said. "If there's a better way to do that, I'm for that, too. Right now, this seems to be the best way."

Others in the audience disagreed. Janet Beiser and Teri Balaska both called mandatory urinalysis "humiliating" and said the district instead should focus on ways to promote positive peer pressure.

SOME WERE concerned about the students who don't participate in extracurricular activities and therefore would not be impacted by the proposed policy. This would create issues of equality, both in providing treatment resources for addicted students and in how students are punished for violating school substance-abuse policies.

According to the draft proposal, second-time offenders who test positive for drugs would face suspension from his or her activity and would have to complete a district-approved substance-abuse program. Second-time offenders not involved in extracurricular activities face expulsion from school under the district's current drug policy.

"The equal-treatment piece … how we treat these students is very troubling to me," trustee Amy Eddy said.

Some audience members suggested that a suspicion-based testing policy might be more effective. The school could test or provide at-home tests for parents whose students were suspected of substance abuse. Miriam Lewis favored the latter option.

"I'm not opposed to drug testing if I, as a parent, initiate the testing," she said. "But I am opposed to the policy as it is currently being proposed."

Andy Hudak, a licensed counselor and Whitefish parent, also favored suspicion-based testing.

"I'm for drug testing. I use it all the time," he said. "I'm not for random drug testing."

He suggested finding more funding for programs like Whitefish CARE, a nonprofit drug and alcohol prevention organization already in place and already working to curb substance abuse in the schools.

The existing policies and programs aren't enough, School Resource Officer Rob Veneman said.

"For those of us that see it on a daily basis, we know it's not working," he said. "Drugs [are] a problem in this school, and if you think that it's not, you're wrong."

Jeff Peck, assistant principal at Whitefish High School, said this year's drug- and alcohol-related infractions are double what they were last year. Last fall alone, police cited 18 students for chemical use or possession infractions.

Off the top of his head, Peck said, he can think of 12 students who are no longer in school because of their addictions. Of those, seven were involved in extracurricular activities and possibly could have been helped through a random drug-testing policy, he said.

Eight head coaches voiced their support for the proposed policy. Statements were read on behalf of six more.

Superintendent Jerry House also supports the proposal, although he acknowledged there are problems as it exists now. The draft contains language that conflicts with the school's existing drug and alcohol policies, he said, and the policy's final language must be explicit to avoid future legal problems.

Furthermore, drug testing must be paired with treatment and education to be effective, he said.

"I can't emphasize this enough: Drug testing is not a solution by itself," he said.

For more information or to offer suggestions and opinions, contact House by e-mail at housej@wfps.k12.mt.us or call 862-8640.

The drug-testing proposal is available online at www.wfps.k12.mt.us.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com