Pubdate: Tue, 16 Jul 2002
Source: Decatur Daily (AL)
Copyright: 2002 The Decatur Daily
Contact:  http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/index.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/696
Author: Deangelo McDaniel
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

HARTSELLE PLANS SCHOOL DRUG TESTS BY NEXT TERM

HARTSELLE -- If you are a student who participates in an extracurricular 
activity and you are using drugs, the chairman of Hartselle's drug testing 
committee has a message for you.

"It's time to get the word out that we are coming," Susan Hayes said at 
Monday's committee meeting.

Mrs. Hayes, who is assistant principal at Hartselle High School, serves 
also as chairman of the committee the school board appointed to develop a 
random drug-testing policy.

"If kids are smoking marijuana, maybe they will stop," she said.

The committee members supported Mrs. Hayes and expressed their desire to 
have a student drug-testing policy in place by the beginning of the next 
school term.

School Board Chairman Susan Puckett, who was not at Monday's meeting, 
stated previously that the board normally reads policies at two meetings 
before adopting them. She said the board could call a special meeting to 
deal with the policy.

The committee spent most of the meeting talking about and patterning 
Hartselle's policy after the policy that is being considered for the 
Decatur city school system.

There was one noticeable difference: Hartselle agreed to test all students 
who participate in extracurricular activities.

This means student who participate in chorus and scholar's bowl, for 
example, may be tested.

The committee voted also to:

a.. Test seventh- and eighth-grade students.

a.. Test for tobacco products.

a.. Require that teachers be trained on how to recommend the signs of drug use.

a.. Ban students for a year from participating if they refuse to sign a 
testing consent form.

a.. Disqualify a student from participating whom tries to submit an 
adulterated urine sample. The group will meet July 29 to decide what the 
penalty will be for a positive drug test.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom