Pubdate: Mon, 25 Jul 2005
Source: Athens News, The (OH)
Copyright: 2005, Athens News
Contact:  http://www.athensnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1603
Author: Jim Phillips

DESPITE AMPLE OPPOSITION, SCHOOL BOARD WON'T BUDGE ON DRUG TESTING

The opinion on Alexander Local School District's new drug-testing policy was
running about 10 to one against at a meeting of the school board last
Thursday night.

Some 20 people spoke out against the policy, often vehemently, in a
public-comment portion of the meeting that went on for two heated hours.

When the board finally cut off public comment, it was over the complaints of
many in the audience of around 50 people, who continued to shout remarks and
wave their hands in the air to be recognized.

Despite pleas by students and district parents, the board would not vote to
either rescind or table implementation of the policy. Board member Fred
Davis made motions to consider these actions, but each died for lack of a
second. Davis had been the lone dissenting board member on the original vote
to adopt the policy.

The policy requires students who engage in athletics or cheerleading, or
drive to school, to undergo urine testing for drug and alcohol use.

Many parents suggested that while they work hard to make sure their children
stay off drugs, the new policy will undermine the trust that allows them to
do this.

"It burns me a little bit," said parent Kevin Howes, whose oldest son is in
seventh grade. "He's never hurt me to the point where I say, 'Son, you've
got a problem.' That trust has never been broken. I don't need it broken
now."

Howes' wife, Kellie Howes, suggested that during adolescence, which can
bring with it embarrassment about body and sexual issues, students --
especially girls -- should not be required to urinate in front of a
stranger.

"I can't ask my daughter to go pee in a cup in front of anybody," she said.
Though her son is a student athlete, she added, "he would just give up
sports" if his involvement were made conditional on drug testing.

"I think you're taking my rights away; I think you're taking my kids' rights
away," she said.

Regina Morton, with children in the district, said she applauds the board's
intentions, but has seen no evidence that there was a demand for drug
testing from district families. Though board chair Dave Kasler has suggested
the policy has support in the district, she said, "I haven't seen anything
that says how you went about finding that out."

Morton worried that a single positive drug test may create a black mark that
will follow a child for the rest of his or her life, and warned that
involvement in sports -- which drug testing may discourage -- is itself the
best anti-drug measure available to schools.

"You're taking the most effective method and using it against kids," she
alleged. "It doesn't make sense, folks, I'm sorry."

Robert Wiley, who has worked to drum up opposition to the policy, said he
was stunned when he learned it had been adopted.

"I was really knocked out -- hadn't heard a word about it," he recalled. He
criticized the board for having apparently adopted the policy with little or
no public input or publicity, and suggested that research indicates drug
testing is not very useful in reducing drug use.

Wiley submitted a public records request to the board, asking for, among
other things, any data on student drug use the board used in reaching its
decision, and any communications with firms that do drug testing or drug
counseling. He asked also for information about the economics of the policy.

"Where's the funding for this going to come from?" he demanded.

The board has since indicated that the district will cover the cost of the
testing.

Nancy Schell, a district parent and a health professional at Ohio
University, reeled off a long list of questions she wants answered about the
policy.

Among the things she wants to know are why no medical experts on substance
abuse were consulted, whether the district can justify pulling children from
class for testing, and what the protocol will be for students who refuse
testing.

Schell also pointed out that the board apparently made no effort to find
out, before passing the policy, how big a drug problem exists in Alexander
District, and what drugs are the biggest problems.

"As far as I know... there's never been a needs assessment done in our
district," she declared. She suggested that any accurate survey would show
the biggest drug problem among students is tobacco use, which the tests
won't cover.

Student Stephanie Russell chastised the board for ignoring the views of
students in adopting the policy.

"It's quite obvious that there's not a lot of student input in this," she
said. Russell argued that fears of rampant drug abuse among Alexander
students are largely fantasy, noting that the district has undergone locker
searches by police that turned up little or no evidence.

"You've had every opportunity to come in and bring dogs in," she said. She
added that she has a brother in second grade, and doesn't want him to
undergo drug testing.

"I absolutely don't want him doing drugs, but I don't want him violated,"
she said, adding that students' rights will be trampled on "unless somebody
comes out and states that it's horrible now."

After her remarks, Russell told The Athens NEWS that from her observations,
there is "absolutely not" a serious drug problem in Alexander. "If there's a
problem in Alexander, it's drinking," she suggested.

Student Megan Moseley told the board she has contacted the local ACLU
chapter about the policy. She agreed with Russell that concerns about raging
drug abuse in the district are vastly overblown. "If anything, Alexander's
one of the best (districts) around here," she said.

Parent Doug Keiter said he has informally surveyed a number of students
about drug testing, and believes that "many of the kids are against the
policy, but they're afraid to speak out."

He said the policy of testing all students involved in sports or driving,
without any reason to believe they're on drugs, "makes kids assume that we
feel that they're guilty of something, and they have to continually prove
that they're innocent."

Two people spoke in support of the policy. District parent Lisa Dael said
simply that "I think if this is managed well, it can be a really great
program for the district."

Vicki Rhodes acknowledged that she's related to board chair Dave Kasler, but
added that "I have my own mind." Rhodes said she's convinced there is a drug
problem in the district, from the young people whom she sees running afoul
of the law in her job with the Athens County Common Pleas Court.

"In the long run, it's costing the county money, because we're having to
defend these kids, we're having to defend them as adults," she said.

Wrapping up the public comment period, Kasler defended the policy,
suggesting that those who downplay the amount of drug use in Alexander are
missing the point.

"One thing that bothers me a great deal is, I hear we don't have a 'rampant
problem,'" he said. "To me, we lose one kid, that's one kid too many. Do we
have an increasing drug problem in this district? We sure do... Is it
rampant? Is it an epidemic? Those are a couple of words I've heard. I think
we have a problem here."

At least one parent in attendance, meanwhile, said that if his three kids
have to be drug tested, they won't be going to Alexander any more.

"I'll pull them out and home-school them," promised Marco Melley.
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