toledoblade.com --

WHILE school districts in northwest Ohio dabble their toes in the murky waters of drug testing for students, a school in southern England has dived right in. That has caught the eye of Washington, with the White House talking of testing as a "public health measure."

The Abbey School, in the southern England town of Faversham, has instituted a remarkably broad policy. Children, some as young as 11, are subject to random drug tests for heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. So far, nearly 600 students have been tested, and only one has tested positive - for marijuana.

That's a remarkable result, and we wonder whether a similar program at other schools in that country, or here, would replicate such a uniformly drug-free student body.

There are some safeguards in the UK testing program: Parents must give their approval, and students can refuse to take the test. Of course, if they just say no to testing they have to go through a counseling session - the same action taken if a student tests positive.

No disciplinary action is taken for a positive test, which would seem in many ways to rather defeat the purpose. If there's no penalty for proven drug use, then what's the message? It would seem to be: We've caught you, but never mind.

Punishment only kicks in if a student is in possession of, dealing, or under the influence of drugs.

Drug testing of students, whether solely those in extracurricular and athletic programs, or all in the student body, is an ethical and legal minefield. The British civil rights group known as Liberty objects to the tests because students could become suspects even if they refuse to take the test on principle, not from fear of a positive result.

The American Civil Liberties Union also argues against testing on the basis of accuracy and the view that tests violate students' rights.

At The Abbey School, 86 percent of parents of the 960 pupils agreed to the testing, which strongly suggests that they don't have as much an objection to it as those who would argue for their children's civil rights. Perhaps parents are more worried about the youngsters' health and future.

Other schools in the English county of Kent, where Faversham is located, will be deciding this month whether to institute testing, and it would not be surprising if a significant majority do so.

It may be that such testing is more palatable in England, where people appear to view with a greater degree of equanimity such intrusions into privacy as security cameras that track their vehicles on city streets and highways, and follow their strolls down city streets.

In this country, testing of students continues to be viewed with more suspicion, and there are obvious issues of arbitrary and overzealous implementation or abuse of such a policy.

But the move to expand drug testing from the workplace and professional sports into colleges and schools is gaining momentum. And its proponents may be looking at experiments like that at The Abbey School as a guide to the future.

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