Just say no!

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Bertha Madras said drug use and abuse are associated with all kinds of problems.
Madras, deputy director of demand reduction in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, mentioned that drugs can cause delinquency, violence, accidents and brain damage.
Her advice? Say no to drugs.
"Even the first use of a drug can lead to a medical emergency and overdose," she said.
Madras spoke last week at the Franklin Towne Charter School at a summit for education officials on random student drug testing.
School administrators, teachers, nurses, counselors, athletic directors and coaches were invited to attend the forum, held in the gymnasium of the school at 5301 Tacony St. It was geared toward charter high schools and middle schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
More than 1,200 school districts nationwide have implemented random student drug testing to prevent and treat drug use. The programs are non-punitive and protect confidentiality.
White House drug czar John Walters believes testing is the most important step schools can take to prevent drug use.
Many state courts have approved the practice. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that schools can test students for whom there is "reasonable suspicion" of drug use. In a separate ruling, the nation’s highest court allowed for testing of students involved in extracurricular activities ranging from sports to membership in the Future Homemakers of America.
Only the student, a drug counselor and parents find out about a positive test. Law enforcement is not notified, nor are teachers. The records are destroyed when a child leaves a school.
Madras said random drug testing is most effective when combined with prevention programs.
"This is a public health approach to the problem," said Madras, who was a professor at Harvard Medical School before taking her present job 18 months ago.
The School District of Philadelphia does not perform random drug testing. Bettyann Creighton, director of health, safety, physical education and sports administration for the school district, attended the forum and will share materials on the subject with fellow administrators.
Glenn Devitt, a member of the board of trustees at MaST Community Charter School, thinks testing could be a deterrent, but wants further clarification of its constitutionality. He also worries about lawsuits against the program.
Joe Venditti, CEO of Franklin Towne, also likes the idea, but the school will have to study the issue further.
According to the Monitoring the Future Study at the University of Michigan, there’s been an increase in the use of Oxycontin and no decrease in Vicodin use. And studies show that many youths do not perceive Ecstasy as harmful.
Still, drug use has declined among youth from 2001 to ’07. There’s less use of marijuana, steroids and methamphetamines.
"That’s an enormous achievement for our future," said Madras, who also promoted random drug testing in a series of radio and television interviews while in Philadelphia. "We have to prevent drug use in young people."
Madras said it’s best for schools to consult an attorney as they consider testing. It’s also good, she said, to build community support. More information is available at www.randomstudentdrugtesting.org
The U.S. Department of Education provides some grant money to start a program.
Christina Steffner is a big supporter of random drug testing. Since July, she’s been principal of Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington, N.J. The school has had a drug-testing policy since 1996, except for a period when it was sued by the ACLU.
Steffner developed a drug-testing program when she was principal at another New Jersey high school, Hackettstown, from 2001-05.
"We see it as a very powerful deterrent," she said. "It’s the police car parked on the side of the road."
Typically, students are tested by giving a urine sample, with results in a mere three minutes. Other testing methods include hair samples, oral fluids, a sweat patch and a Breathalyzer.
Steffner told fellow educators that testing can be as affordable as $3,000 per year, or cheaper than some assemblies, which she believes can have minimal impact.
The principal likes to talk about drug testing to eighth-graders at high school orientation. She also publishes the overall testing results in the monthly school newspaper. She wears the policy "as a badge of honor."
Steffner rejects claims by opponents of testing that it’s a waste of resources because participants in extracurricular activities are the least likely students to engage in drug use.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg labeled the policy "unreasonable, capricious and even perverse."
"I want to ask Justice Ginsburg, ‘When was the last time you were in a high school?’" Steffner said.
Steffner said sports captains and club officers are among the users of drugs. She recalls a Hackettstown student named "Suzy" who was in the top 10 of her class. In May of her senior year, she lay down in the nurse’s office complaining of being sick. She’d done this before.
The principal recommended she be tested for drugs. The girl’s mom fought back, saying her daughter had high SAT scores, was accepted at top colleges and came from a good family.
In the end, the student acknowledged taking heroin by using her dad’s insulin syringes.
"It’s working," Steffner said of drug testing. "It’s very effective."
Steffner recalls her first dance as principal at Hackettstown. Two freshmen girls appeared to be drunk. Then, one puked.
"That’s a dead giveaway," Steffner said.
The principal drove the girls to the hospital, then returned to the dance. The gym was empty.
"They got the message," Steffner said.
At the school’s 2004 prom, "Bobby" walked outside after seeing a receiving line of chaperones. He threw up in a gazebo, claiming he ate something that didn’t agree with him. Steffner smelled alcohol in the vomit and made the boy sit at her table near the dance floor for an hour until his parents arrived.
"Ask me how well the next two proms went," she said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com