Pubdate: Tue, 25 May 2004
Source: Winston-Salem Journal (NC)
Copyright: 2004 Piedmont Publishing Co. Inc.
Contact:  http://www.journalnow.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/504
Author: Titan Barksdale
Note: The Journal does not publish letters from writers outside its daily
home delivery circulation area.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

ELKIN BOARD OKS DRUG, ALCOHOL TESTING FOR HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS

The Elkin Board of Education unanimously approved yesterday a policy
that will require random drug and alcohol testing of high-school
students who participate in extracurricular activities and drive to
school.

An annual survey showed that there was a slight increase in drug use
among some students in the Elkin City Schools. Angela Land, the
schools' safety and drug coordinator, could not produce specific
figures yesterday.

The policy, which will begin in the fall, is a response to the survey
results and parents' suggestions about preventing drug use, Land said.

"In Elkin, any increase is a huge percentage," Land said. "When those
figures start coming to our town, it's a concern."

Land said that the policy uses intervention and prevention to deter
substance abuse.

About 80 percent of the student body at Elkin High School participates
in extracurricular activities, said Mariena Shore, a data manager at
the school.

Extracurricular activities include athletic teams, service clubs,
student government and honor societies.

Slightly more than 500 students in grades 7 through 12 attend Elkin
High School. The Elkin City Schools consist of Elkin High and Elkin
Elementary schools.

Bert Wood, a representative of Partnership for a Drug Free North
Carolina, talked to the school board at a previous meeting about
random testing in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.

The partnership provides services to reduce the negative effect of
substance abuse and mental illness. It provides services including
student drug testing for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Wood
said.

School officials haven't hired an agency or company to conduct the
tests, but they are considering the partnership for the role. The cost
of implementing the policy will not be available until a provider is
selected, Land said.

Elkin's policy is similar to the policy used in Forsyth and Yadkin
counties. Parents must sign a written release allowing their child to
be tested. A student who refuses to be tested or fails a test will be
ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities for one year.
A student who fails a drug test can regain eligibility by completing a
substance-abuse education program through an agency such as the
partnership. A second failure makes the student ineligible to
participate in extracurricular activities for a year.

Wood said that the policy will not stop drug use entirely, but is
"part of the solution."

"This policy is not designed to catch people, but to encourage them to
make good choices," Wood said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin