Pubdate: Tue, 1 Nov 2005
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
Copyright: 2005 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.stltoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/418
Author: Shane Anthony, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

HOWELL BOARD CONSIDERS DRUG TESTING FOR STUDENTS

Cottleville

Drug testing and the amount of time teachers spend with students took
center stage as the Francis Howell School Board took questions from
employees and residents in two town hall meetings Tuesday.

About 75 people attended the employee session, and about 85 people
attended the evening session, which offered chances to ask questions
of school board members. Both were held at Central High School in
Cottleville.

The board has been studying the possibility of testing students for
drug use beginning next year. That topic received the most response
during the general public session, and most who spoke favored the idea.

Lisa Juneau, 42, of St. Charles County, has a son who is a sophomore
at Central High School. "None of us want our kids to take drugs," she
said. "We have to stop it."

She said the policy needs to have consequences, such as preventing
students from participating in activities if they are caught using
drugs or alcohol.

Todd Berck, dean of students and a head football coach at Central High
School, described the district's preliminary efforts toward creating a
drug testing policy for students next school year.

Several parents asked Berck whether the policy would include
punishments and whether it would test for alcohol as well as drugs. He
said those are some of the ideas the committee will need to
investigate.

Francis Howell High School also received attention during the evening
session, as a couple of attendees questioned what might happen to the
campus. Board member Anne Womack said a facilities committee is
looking at the feasibility of renovating or rebuilding the school.

Board members took questions from district employees in a
late-afternoon session that preceded the meeting for residents. Many
of the questions from teachers and administrators who attended focused
on alternative schedules and programs that would allow teachers to
spend more time with students.

Scott Dauve, a science teacher and department chairman at Central High
School, said he would like to see the district use a schedule that
allowed teachers to have one period a day to help students who are
struggling. He also recommended bringing back math and science
laboratories to help those students.

The state is increasing math and science requirements for high school
students, Dauve said, and those are the areas in which more students
struggle. "It's just frustrating because you can't help everybody," he
said. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake