NOREEN: D-12 school board considers drug testing

Our society has been trying to stop teenagers from doing drugs for decades, and the Cheyenne Mountain School District board is in the process of finding out just how hard it is.

Alarmed by a rash of heroin use revealed late last year at Cheyenne Mountain High School, the board's started talking about what to do in January. That's led to a proposed random drug testing program for kids involved in extra-curricular activities.

There's support for the idea, but as the board heard Monday night, there are also plenty of questions about how much real good such a program will do.

James Murphy, a federal probation officer with three kids attending schools in the district, said drugs such as meth, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy "can be taken on Friday night after the game and won't show up (in a drug test) on Monday."

Murphy, whose job involves frequent drug testing for parolees, said drug users will find ways to beat the drug screening and "we are sending the wrong message to those who do not take drugs."

One model for Cheyenne Mountain schools could be drug testing begun in tiny Holyoke, near the Nebraska border. In May, that district reported zero positive tests out of 203 conducted last school year.

Murphy doubts no kids are doing drugs at Holyoke High School and said the lack of positive tests proves his point.

"Are we doing this to help the children or make ourselves feel better?" he asked rhetorically. If D-12 moves ahead with drug testing, Murphy predicted, "we will receive the same result Holyoke has."

Then the board heard from the parents (they won't be named here) of a heroin-using student who was expelled.

"Our son was a black tar heroin addict," the mother said, explaining that he is now in recovery and counseling at a facility in Denver. "A kid can talk his way around anything. We operate on evidence now."

Although the woman's husband is skeptical drug testing can succeed, she said: "I don't think anyone can enforce good parenting, but I think a message needs to be sent that it's not going to be tolerated."

Another parent, Bob Irwin, told the board, "I don't think you're going to help. You're going to get sued. It's just not your role."

For most people, the heroin story from last year was shocking. The board members were noncommittal Monday and if there is a policy change, it won't be until after the school year starts.

"In good conscience I don't think we can sit back and do nothing," said Superintendent Walt Cooper.

Tough problem, especially when people can't agree who should be responsible for addressing it. The proposed solutions, from DARE programs to drug testing, have dubious prospects for success.

No joke at all, D-12: Good luck with this.
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