right now they are volentary but you can bet the government buerocrats will want to make them mandatory next! Original Article PV parents can sign up students for drug tests Anne Ryman The Arizona Republic Sept. 17, 2005 12:00 AM The Paradise Valley Unified School District, which became the first district in the state to randomly drug-test athletes in 1991, is expanding the program to all high school and middle school students whose parents approve. Parents will be able to sign up their children for random drug testing beginning in November. It is believed to be the first district in the state with such a program. Students playing sports still face mandatory random drug testing. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that schools can have mandatory random drug testing for athletes, but the ruling doesn't extend to testing all students. District officials say they are adhering to that ruling because the drug testing is voluntary. School officials will tell parents if their children test positive, but the students won't face discipline or criminal charges. "Basically, it's a support system for parents," said Jim Lee, the district's director of student services. The Paradise Valley School Board unanimously approved the program Thursday night. The board based its decision in part on a survey conducted last year that showed a vast majority of district parents would support such a program. The Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has opposed random drug testing without cause in schools and opposes the Paradise Valley's voluntary random testing, said Stan Furman, its president. "If they are going to have drug testing, they should have not only the parents' permission, but the kids' permission," Furman said. Paradise Valley requires only parents to give permission, not students. Only a handful of Arizona school districts, including Paradise Valley, Queen Creek and Show Low, have random drug testing for student athletes. Many Arizona school districts shy away because of the cost of testing and possible lawsuits. Paradise Valley pays $21,000 a year to randomly drug-test 400 to 500 athletes; Show Low pays about $35 a test. More than 200 schools and school districts in the United States do some form of drug testing, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. The agency's spokeswoman, Jennifer De Vallance, predicts it will become more common. President Bush has been a strong advocate of random testing. This year, Congress set aside an estimated $6.5 million for school drug-testing programs, and 32 grants are expected to be announced by the end of September. When the Paradise Valley program begins in November, parents can sign up through their school principal. Schools also will provide free drug-testing kits to parents or give them vouchers for free drug testing at a lab. It is funded through an $18,000 grant from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Jesse Acosta, principal of Greenway Middle School near 32nd Street and Greenway Road, said the new program will be useful to both the school and parents. "We have parents who come in and say, 'I'm struggling with my child at home, and I think he may be involved with drugs. We would have them talk to the counselor, but that doesn't really get to the root of the problem." Once the program starts, Acosta said, the school can offer the parent free vouchers to get the student drug testing. Paradise Valley is the fourth-largest school district in the state, with about 33,100 students, and serves northeast Phoenix and a small part of Scottsdale. Parent Nancy Reynolds, who has a freshman daughter at Horizon High School, said she will sign up her daughter for the voluntary program. "I don't think athletes should be the only ones tested," she said. Reynolds does wonder, however, whether parents whose children are most likely to use drugs will be inclined to sign up. Her daughter, Brittany, 14, said she has no problem being tested. Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne was a member of the Paradise Valley School Board when the board decided to start random drug testing in 1991. The district was sued by a student but prevailed in court. "I think it's an excellent idea," Horne said about expanding the program. "Parents need to know if their child has a problem so that need can be addressed." Horne said drug use will be reduced, and "where it does occur, it will enable the parents to be alerted to the problem and address the problem with their child and a therapist." Reach the reporter at anne.ryman@arizonarepublic.com (602) 444-8072.