September 6, 2002
John P. Walters, Director
Executive Office of the President
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Washington, DC 20503
Dear Mr. Walters;
I am writing today to express the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association’s (DATIA) gratitude for your office’s recently released publication entitled What You Need to Know About Drug Testing In Schools. The information in the guide is presented in a manner that is both straightforward and comprehensive concerning the issues that school administrators need to consider when deciding whether or not to implement a student drug-testing program. DATIA sees this publication as just the beginning, and would like to offer your office any assistance in helping the student drug testing initiative succeed and decrease drug and alcohol use by the nation’s youth.
As the association representing the drug and alcohol testing industry, DATIA’s mission includes setting standards for industry practices and educating industry professionals on these practices. We would like to offer you and your office our expertise and resources regarding the specifics of drug testing and the recognized industry standards for drug testing programs. These standards are important because schools that decide to implement student drug testing programs must ensure that they follow certain protocols to implement a successful program with positive results.
Again, we applaud your office for its support of drug testing as an added tool for schools to utilize in creating a drug free environment for its students. I look forward to hearing from you or your office as you continue to work on this initiative. I can be reached at 703-548-0901 ext. 41 or lshelton@datia.org.
Sincerely,
Laura E. Shelton
Executive Director
CC: Mary Ann Solberg, Deputy Director
