School drug

policy should address problem

The proposed drug testing policy, as voted on by the Whitefish School Board, is at the very least a disappointment. At its worst, it is an embarrassment, with the potential for contributing to a good deal of harm in what is supposed to be a learning environment with collaboration between students and faculty.

I take no issue with any family who wants to use drug-testing as a means of monitoring their children. I believe, however, it is their responsibility to do so and not the school's. One is hard pressed to find evidence that a limited program of voluntary testing is in any way efficacious.

As troublesome as the voluntary-testing component is, testing for suspicious behaviors is outright alarming. While I read there will be a training of school officials, what are the standards for such training programs?

Will people be Certified Detectors of Suspicious Behavior? One can only imagine what a list of those behaviors might include - laughing in class, falling asleep, making a stupid joke.

Please tell me what the validity of all this is.

Students run the risk that, if they act funny, they will be accused of using drugs. Teenagers do act funny — that's why we love them.

Furthermore, I believe police should be called in only in emergency situations. I do not want school officials and teachers doing investigations. I would like them to devote their energies to teaching.

When a school official is concerned about a student, why not keep the student in the office until a responsible family member can be reached? Let the family then deal with the problem.

If the school board feels compelled to implement a drug-testing program, please make it a meaningful program that actually might address the problem. The current proposals fall far short of this.

Michael Newman

Whitefish