Here are some tips and tools for those able to attend one of the Office of National Drug Control Policy student drug testing summits. The next event will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Dearborn in Detroit, Michigan on September 25, 2007.

Before the Summit

Register for the free event by filling out this form and faxing it to 202-395-6744, calling 202-395-6750 or e-mailing vwoodberry@ondcp.eop.gov.  The summit will begin with a morning registration between 8:30-9:00am.

Let us know you are attending by e-mailing Jennifer Kern, who will send you additional materials detailing what to expect at the summit and answer any questions you might have.

Join our pre-summit meet-up to get acquainted, discuss possible responses to difficult questions and practice what you will say to introduce educators to the harms of random student drug testing. You can sign up for the meet-up in our action center.

Prepare for the event by familiarizing yourself with the issue.  Begin by reading our booklet, Making Sense of Student Drug Testing: Why Educators Are Saying No.  Our issue-specific web site, Drug Testing Fails, also provides a wealth of information.  Beyond Zero Tolerance presents a reality-based approach to drug education and student assistance programs.  We will have educational materials on hand at the summit to hand out to educators.

Tips on Tough Questions

The ONDCP presenters take written questions from the audience on special yellow question cards.  No matter how outraged you are by the White House's insane drug policies, rude and inappropriate questions will not impress educators.  E-mail us for a list of question suggestions that will have drug testing proponents stumbling over their responses.

Here are some questions that will get the drug czar and his supporters red in the face:

• Why do adolescent health groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the National Education Association and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence oppose student drug testing?  
• Student drug testing programs are supposed to be confidential, but if students are suspended from the activity, then people are going to know, for the most part, why they've been suspended.  That means the testing and results aren't as confidential as they should be.  Please address this concern. 
• Do you have national data to support the efficacy of student drug testing?  The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research conducted the only national study on student drug testing and found no difference in drug use rates between students of schools that have drug testing programs and those that do not.

The Day of the Summit

Please arrive in business casual attire to be most effective in communicating with educators.

Find us the morning of the summit near our information table so we can provide you with educational materials to distribute. (In the past, event coordinators have provided a table inside the main room marked "Non-ONDCP Approved Materials.")

In everything we communicate at the summits, we want to stay closely focused on student drug testing.  Attempting to broaden the discussion may hurt our message and close local educators off to our concerns.

Tips From our Members

Here are some helpful tips from members who previously attended summits:

Peter Eyre of Washington D.C. said, "The pre-summit meeting allowed everyone to touch base, put a face with a name, and become even more motivated to attend the summit. At the summit most educators I talked to were still on the fence about whether to implement student drug testing or not and almost everyone there is still receptive to hearing information from drug policy reformers."

Peter also recommends, "practicing a 15 or 30 second 'elevator speech' that you can confidently give to educators at the summit.  Because first impressions are important, I encourage attendees to dress professionally, so that they as the messenger do not detract from the message."

Gretchen Bergman of San Diego wrote, "It was really important that we were present when the ONDCP came to town to do the summit.  We had people to bring up questions that wouldn't have been heard, and there were educators in the audience who weren't buying the drug czar's position, and were grateful to hear our perspective."

Suzanne Wills of Dallas advises, "It is important to be there and that the presenters know you are there. Put out Alliance materials. People do pick it up. The presenters mentioned several times there would be opposition to testing. I think demonstrating that by your presence will discourage attendees from pushing testing.  Stay all day if you can."

Linda Otis from just outside Dallas said, "I asked all the people sitting in the immediate vicinity of me if they would like a copy of the material I had.  They all accepted.  So, this may be a good idea to get the material to as many people as possible.  Some may not pick up a copy on their own."  Linda also suggests rebutting the emotional appeals made by the ONDCP by handing out materials that include the stories of real people--students and parents -- adversely affected by student drug testing.

After the Summit 

Write a Letter to the editor of your local newspaper about your experience at the event and your opposition to drug testing children.  Read an op-ed written by a group of high school students who attended the Milwaukee Summit last year.

Report Back on your impressions from the day and let us know your ideas for how we could have an even greater impact at the next summit.

Donate to DPA and help the campaign against drug testing children.

Speak Up! If drug testing is proposed in your area, launch a campaign to stop the policy.

Pass a Resolution against student drug testing in your PTA.

Encourage sensible drug education courses at schools.

Climb the Hill Write, call and visit your representatives to educate them about student drug testing and your experience at the taxpayer funded Drug Czar summit.

Click Here to read more about last year's summits.

For more information on student drug testing, visit www.drugtestingfails.org.