A secondary school in the charming hamlet of Faversham, Kent, will become the first UK school to employ a state scheme for performing random drug testing on students. The Abbey School does not have a particular problem with drugs, but is working proactively with parents to ensure that things stay that way.

Each week, twenty of the school's 960 students will be randomly selected for a mouth swab that will test for marijuana, cocaine, and Ecstasy, among other substances. So far 85% of parents have given the school permission to screen their children for drugs--students of nonconsenting parents will not be tested. Teachers are showing their support for the program by agreeing to be tested, too. Students who test positive will not be expelled, but anyone found dealing will be.

I'd be interested to know the frequency of false positives when testing is done on the random population as opposed to just the kids who act high or stoned. This could be a real problem for innocent kids, even if a positive test doesn't mean expulsion. Will it go on their records for colleges or employers to see? No way would I give permission for this.

What is the evidence that the cost (both actual money and violations of individual rights) actually reaps a benefit in terms of lowered drug use?

A substance abuse professional I respect feels that random testing of "potential" users is a waste of money, compared to programs fostering good communication between parents and children