Pubdate: Wed, 03 Aug 2005
Source: Ledger-Independent, The (KY)
Copyright: 2005, Maysville Newspapers, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.maysville-online.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1895
Author: Misty Maynard, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

FLEMING COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ADDRESSES POLICY CHANGES

FLEMINGSBURG -- Fleming County School Board met Wednesday evening to 
discuss changes in board policies, as well as policy updates from the 
Kentucky School Board Association.

Among those changes were such issues as Sunday play and practice for sports 
teams, fund-raising and new employee drug testing.

Though the current policy allowed Sunday play and practice, the board moved 
to prohibit such play except for high school teams during the hours of 1 
and 5 p.m. They also retained the ability to rent their facilities on 
Sundays to other schools or organizations.

Private school students can participate in extracurricular activities 
through grades K-6, as long as they meet the board's policy on 
participation. Students must abide by Fleming County's rules and 
regulations, and their school must pay additional costs for insurance.

The board also approved the deletion of one sentence from the current 
policy regarding fund-raising, as well as prohibited door to door sales 
except for the senior's magazine. The current policy allowed only one 
fund-raiser per year per organization.

Superintendent Kelley Crain said the policy was not accurate since teams 
who travel, like the recent FCCLA trip, often use several fund-raisers to 
raise money for their trip. Every fund-raiser will still appear before the 
board as required by law for their approval.

Crain approached the board with a suggestion that new employees be required 
to undergo drug testing before signing a contract with the school board. 
Coming on the heels of the board's approval for random student drug testing 
for students who participate in extracurricular activities, one board 
member noted that employees should not be exempt from something students 
must submit to.

While there was some discussion regarding legal issues of the suggestion, 
Crain said she had received information from other school districts who 
have the same policy, and that the policy seemed to hold up in court.

All amendments to the board's policy were approved in the first reading.

The board also accepted a bid from Premier, the agency which will conduct 
the random drug tests of the students involved in extracurricular 
activities or enjoying such privileges as driving to school. Crain said she 
had received several comments the testing should be school-wide, but there 
could be legal issues stemming from such a move. However, Crain said the 
current policy would like affect 80 percent of the student body.

Premier was selected out of two bids because of the two physicians on staff 
who could check with parents and pharmacies whenever the question of 
prescription medication arose. If a student tests positive for drugs, but 
is taking a prescription, the results will come back to the school as 
negative, thus protecting the student's privacy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom