Editorial

    The Wahkiakum School District is developing a policy that would guide staff in reporting students who may be under the influence of drugs and alcohol and have them tested for the presence of the controlled substances.
    The goal, district officials say, is to make sure students get the help they need for substance abuse.
    Of course, subjecting students to urine tests for drugs is controversial, to say the least.
    The district tried to implement a random drug testing program for athletes in the 1990s but lost a suit to parents and the American Civil Liberties Union.
    I suspect a similar suit will occur if the district proceeds with the current proposal.
    I discussed the proposal with close to a dozen persons this week, and they were unanimously opposed to the policy as too invasive. I think the testing proposal has merit, so I was surprised there was so little support. I realize this wasn't a scientific poll, but I'll guess the district has a battle to generate public support for the policy.

    The policy itself isn't too far from present practice.
    Staff have received training in identifying signs of drug and alcohol use. They would report the students to administrators, who would have the students provide a urine sample in a way designed to be controlled but to protect privacy. Consequences would depend on the results of the test.
    Staff are already trained in recognizing signs of drug and alcohol use, and students are already disciplined for use.
    There is just no testing.

    As the district proceeds with developing the policy, administrators and the board of directors need to make sure they present the proposal adequately to the public.
    They need to publish the policy and hold a community meeting at which they explain it and how the proposal came to life.
    Then they'll need to gauge public support. Knowing they'll likely be sued, they'll need to decide if it's worth the effort to proceed.
    There's no hurry, so they need to make sure they get it right and the public knows what's at stake.