Summit Watch
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) hosted four one-day summits on random student drug testing between January and April 2007. The summits brought together experts in the drug testing field to review a variety of topics such as program development, testing methods and protocols, and student assistance programs.
Popular with audiences were panel discussions led by representatives from school districts across the country who shared experiences, advice, and strategies on incorporating student drug testing into existing prevention programs.
Kathy Jordan and her colleagues from Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina showcased their It's Our Call/It's My Call Student Drug Testing Program at the Charleston, South Carolina, summit in January. Their program asks students in junior high and high school to stand up and be counted as “drug free” and requires drug tests for all high school students who participate in extracurricular activities. Students in grades 6-12 who do not participate in extracurricular activities can volunteer for the random drug testing program.
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To download materials presented at recent summits or to learn about upcoming summits, please visit www.randomstudentdrugtesting.org. A comprehensive site offering resources, publications, research findings, best-practices, and guidance on policy development, www.randomstudentdrugtesting.org is designed to meethe the needs of a range of audiences—from parents and students interested in learning more about program goals to educatrors and administrators involved in program management. |
Lisa Brady, Superintendent of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey, has spent ten years working with school drug testing programs and remains a strong advocate of random drug testing. At the February summit in Newark Superintendent Brady told participants that “random student drug testing sends a clear message: students are expected to be drug free. As caring adults,” she said, “we have an obligation to provide our young people with any and all resources to assist them with decision-making during the critical adolescent years. Random student drug testing gives kids a reason to say ‘no' to drugs and negative peer pressure.”
At the Honolulu summit in March, ONDCP Deputy Director for Demand Reduction Dr. Bertha Madras and Hawaii Lieutenant Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona led discussions on the benefits of student drug testing. Lt. Governor Aiona explained that random student drug testing gives parents yet another opportunity to engage in conversations about substance abuse. “As a family court judge, I've seen too many tragedies that could have been avoided had we been more proactive.”
Also speaking at the Honolulu summit was Richard J. Schaffer, principal of the Mid-Pacific Institute, a private school in Hawaii with a voluntary drug testing program. A number of positive outcomes have resulted from the school's testing program, said Mr. Schaffer, pointing out, for example, how frequently even students who are not in the testing pool use the “I might be drug-tested” excuse for not using drugs.
Representatives from 21 States and four high school athletic associations attended the Las Vegas summit. John Maltsch, Activities Director for the Pewaukee School District in Wisconsin, told attendees his district's testing program is “all about deterrence. If we can save two or three students a year, we've done what we set out to do.”
ONDCP Deputy Director Bertha Madras delivered the summits' keynote address. Her remarks focused on the harmful effects of drugs on brain development and the importance of deterring young people from initiating drug use. She also noted that random drug testing can help address current drug use trends, such as increases among youth in prescription drug abuse and the use of dangerous performance-enhancing illicit drugs among student athletes.
Of the 495 schools/school districts that were represented by attendees during the 16 regional summits ONDCP has hosted since 2004, 227 have instituted random student drug testing programs.