CATHOLIC SCHOOL TO BEGIN DRUG TESTS OF STUDENTS

Clearwater Central Catholic High is the first school affiliated with
the Diocese of St. Petersburg to require such tests.

Starting this fall, students at Clearwater Central Catholic High
School will take the kind of tests you can't study for: drug tests.

Clearwater Central Catholic will begin randomly testing students for
drugs and alcohol, possibly the first high school in the Tampa Bay
area and one of only a few in the state.

The decision was prompted by social issues rather than a problem at
the school, said Sister Mary Dion Horrigan, school principal.

"The main goal of this program is to provide a strong deterrent for
students," Horrigan said.

No disciplinary action will be taken the first time students test
positive, but they will be referred for drug counseling. If students
test positive a second time, they will be asked to leave. The policy
does not call for law enforcement to be notified.

The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed drug testing in public schools only
for students involved in athletics. It had not specifically addressed
private schools.

Pinellas schools do not test students, a district spokeswoman said. As
for the state's private schools, Skardon Bliss, executive director of
the Florida Council of Independent Schools, an association that
evaluates and accredits 158 independent schools statewide, said he
knows of no school that has arbitrary, random drug testing.

No other schools affiliated with the Diocese of St. Petersburg have
implemented such a policy, said Mary Jo Murphy, spokeswoman for the
diocese.

Horrigan acknowledged that few schools have taken the step. But she
said she wants her students to strive for higher standards.

"We're just raising the bar, and we're saying we'll help you. We want
to educate leaders, and a leader wants to make a difference," she
said. "It's a very ambitious agenda, but that's who we are."

Clearwater Central Catholic, where tuition ranges from $5,450 to
$8,400 a year, sent out letters informing parents of the policy and
notified students in assemblies last week.

Administrators have been asking both parents and students for
feedback, Horrigan said.

Reaction has been mixed, she said, with many parents supporting the
move but a vocal minority opposing it.

Sophomore Tim Treshler was so distressed by the policy that he printed
up 500 copies of a letter protesting it and encouraging dissenters to
speak out. He sought permission to distribute the letters, but
administrators seized them Tuesday, he said.

"It's basically saying you're guilty until you prove yourself
innocent, instead of innocent until proven guilty," Treshler said of
the policy.

His mother, Carol Treshler, said she plans to withdraw her son if the
school follows through with the policy.

Lori Mattox, incoming school advisory council president, supports the
program. Two of her sons attend the school.

"We have to face the reality that our kids might use drugs. If you can
find out if they are and do something about it, why not?" she said.

Leaders of other area private schools said drug tests are not
necessary at their schools.

Ten percent of the more than 600 Clearwater Central Catholic students
will be randomly selected by a computer program over the year. The
school will work in partnership with Operation PAR, which will conduct
the tests on campus.

In unannounced tests, students will be called from class to report to
the school office. They will be sent to a specific restroom to provide
urine samples. The samples will be transported to the Operation PAR
lab for testing.

Operation PAR will verify test results, notify the associate principal
and notify the parents if the sample tests positive. Parents will be
asked if a prescribed medication may have led to positive results. If
a valid prescription is produced, results will be reported negative.

The associate principal will meet with the families of students who
test positive, and Operation PAR will assess their situations and
recommend drug treatment plans, which may include education or counseling.

Students will be tested for a variety of commonly used drugs,
including marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates and alcohol, which
is difficult to detect, because it leaves the system quickly, said
Judy Wells, Operation PAR business development manager.

In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court approved public school drug testing
for athletics.

The 6-3 vote held that student athletes could be required to submit to
random tests because of the safety risks of engaging in sports while
on drugs.

Private schools legally can set drug-testing policies, said Randall
Marshall, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida.

"While this kind of program would violate the Constitution in a public
school, it doesn't raise that question in a private school," he said.