Pubdate: Tue, 17 Oct 2006
Source: Charleston Daily Mail (WV)
Copyright: 2006 Charleston Daily Mail
Contact:  http://www.dailymail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/76
Author: Jessica M. Karmasek

SCHOOL OFFICIALS EYE DRUG TESTS

Most Kanawha County school board members say random  drug testing of 
teachers and principals should be  considered in the wake of an 
arrest of a grade-school  principal on cocaine possession charges.

"Under the circumstances, maybe the time is right for  us to have a 
random drug testing program," said Jim  Crawford, board president.

Pratt Elementary School Principal David Anderson, 42,  was arrested 
outside Washington Manor at about 3:20  a.m. Saturday by Charleston police.

Board member Bill Raglin said he supports random drug  testing for 
teachers and principals.

"I think the time has come to consider the merits of a  drug testing 
program," he said. "Obviously, there are a  lot of concerns with 
regard to privacy and all, but  there is an equal amount of concerns 
that I have  towards safety and security, as far as children are 
concerned. It's time to initiate that dialogue."

Board member Pete Thaw agreed.

"I'm deeply concerned about this matter," Thaw said.  "Something 
needs to be done, and it looks like most of  us agree on that."

Thaw voted against Anderson's appointment as principal.  He said he 
considered Anderson to be "a poor fit" for  the elementary school.

Representatives from the state's two largest teacher  unions -- the 
American Federation of Teachers and West  Virginia Education 
Association -- strongly oppose  random drug testing for teachers and 
principals.

"It's an invasion of privacy," said Charles Delauder,  WVEA 
president. "They need to have a probable cause  first, before they go 
out and do something like that."

Judy Hale, president of AFT-WV, agreed.

"I am against random drug testing," Hale said, also  citing privacy concerns.

Both Hale and Delauder said there aren't enough  incidents to warrant 
random testing.

"I don't think the cost is warranted. It's such a small  percentage 
of people. It's something that would show up  in their attendance, 
their work first," Delauder said.

Plus, the random drug tests aren't cheap, he said.

County school boards most likely would have to foot the bill -- 
something many could not afford, Delauder said. But school board 
members say student safety is a bigger concern.

"Right now, there's a lot of concern and discussion as far as safety 
goes. But I don't see how we can have a legitimate conversation about 
school safety without talking about the impact drugs are having on 
that issue," Raglin said.

Piedmont Elementary School Principal Steve Knighton agreed.

"It's all about safety, and I think something like this implies your 
school is not as safe as it could be," Knighton said.

Knighton said he's not against having random drug testing at his school.

Currently, the state Department of Education does not require drug 
tests for teachers or administrators, but background checks are mandatory.

"Any time someone applies for a teaching certification, we do a 
background check looking for any felonies or any other issues," said 
Liza Cordeiro, spokeswoman for the department. "But we don't do any 
specific type of drug testing."

Drug tests are given to school bus drivers when they are first hired, she said.

However, if school officials have suspicions, they are within their 
rights to give a bus driver a drug test during his or her employment.

"Given the nature of their job and that they have to drive and 
operate a piece of heavy machinery, it's understandable," Cordeiro said.

Cordeiro said Anderson's case would fall under the state department's 
code of conduct.

Under that code, a county superintendent is required to report such 
incidents to state education officials. The state's Commission on 
Professional Teaching Standards then reviews the case and makes a 
recommendation, deciding if the person's license should be suspended 
or revoked.

School board members held an executive session meeting Monday night 
to discuss Anderson's arrest.

Thaw, who typically refuses to attend secret meetings, made an 
exception Monday.

"I went because I'm really concerned about this. This is very 
serious," he said. "I wanted to be there for the people."
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MAP posted-by: Elaine