Pubdate: Wed, 11 May 2005
Source: Salisbury Post (NC)
Copyright: 2005 Post Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.salisburypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/380
Author: Steve Huffman
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

RANDOM DRUG TESTS COMING TO SCHOOLS

EAST SPENCER -- Members of the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education took the 
first step Monday toward starting a random drug-testing program in the 
county's high schools.

They instructed Associate Superintendent Dr. Bob Heffern to return at their 
July board meeting with an outline of drug-testing programs the board may 
want to consider.

The board's decision came in a unanimous vote.

Included among the programs that Heffern has been asked to investigate are 
random testing of students applying for parking permits and random testing 
of students involved in any number of extra-curricular activities.

Board members said Monday that they are anxious to make a decision. Time is 
important, board members said, if they hope to have some sort of 
drug-testing program in place by the start of the 2006-2007 school year.

"It can take months to hammer it out," said Jim Shuping, the board's most 
vocal proponent of random drug testing of students.

At Shuping's request, officials added the random drug testing issue to 
Monday's monthly board agenda at the last minute. "I just want to see where 
the board stands," he said.

Last month, Bill Judge, director of Laws in Hand Informational Services of 
Oak Park, Ill., and considered an expert on random drug testing of 
students, made a presentation to school board members and local high school 
and middle school principals.

Judge told board members that random drug testing of students is legal, 
though he said the best such program is one that's voluntary. He suggested 
offering rewards -- gasoline cards or first chances at employment -- to 
those students who enroll in a random drug testing program.

School administrators said local principals overwhelmingly favor random 
drug tests.

"There's strong support on the part of our principals," said Associate 
Superintendent Dr. Alan King. "All principals agreed that voluntary, random 
tests are the way to go. There's no reason not to move full steam ahead."

He said principals' only reservation about drug testing was the manpower 
needed to implement such testing.

"They've got a lot on their plate," King said.

Superintendent Dr. Wiley Doby said he's asked principals to meet with 
members of their school improvement teams and return with suggestions on 
how random drug tests might best be implemented.

The school system's budget for the coming fiscal year includes $25,000 for 
random drug testing, and board members said they hope local civic groups 
might pay to sponsor such tests, thus saving the school system the money.

Board members also learned Monday that East Rowan High School may begin in 
the next school year a voluntary random drug testing program similar to the 
one now used at South Rowan High. At South Rowan, students sign up to 
participate in the drug testing program and qualify for benefits and 
discounts at local businesses.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom