Pubdate: Mon, 04 Dec 2006 Source: Community Recorder, The (KY) Copyright: 2006 The Community Recorder Contact: http://news.communitypress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4226 Author: Marianne Wellendorf, Community Recorder Staff Writer AGREEMENT LIMITS DRUG TESTS FOR TEACHERS NEWPORT - The Newport Independent School District will have to wait until 2010 if it wants to consider drug testing any of its teachers because of a collective bargaining agreement passed in June that does not call for the tests. "It is against our contract to drug test teachers," Newport High School teacher Carol Dunn said. Dunn serves as co-president of the Newport Teacher's Association, the union that put together the collective bargaining agreement. She said because the four year contract was just approved in June, the board will have to wait until June 2010 to ask for changes and additions to the next contract. "We spent a lot of time working on the contract, about four months, so when the contract time is up the question of drug testing for teachers can be discussed," Dunn said. Drug tests became an issue after the recent arrests of Newport School Board member Jim Hesch and his wife, Newport Middle School English teacher Helen Hesch, on charges of third degree unlawful transaction with a minor. Newport High School math teacher Brandon Hall was arrested and charged with second and third degree unlawful transaction with a minor.The Hesches were arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 8, after Newport police caught Hall on video rolling a marijuana cigarette with several juveniles on the Hesches' front porch. Hall told police after his arrest on Friday, Nov. 3, that the Hesches knew juveniles were drinking on their property and that they had given their underage son permission to consume alcohol. The couple pleaded not guilty in Campbell County District Court, on Thursday, Nov. 9. At a Newport School Board meeting Wednesday, Nov. 15, the school board unanimously passed a recommendation made by Newport Superintendent Michael Brandt to form a task force that would look into the possibility of drug testing any student wanting to participate in extracurricular activities, as well as teachers who are new hires. Brandt said the task force would be formed immediately. If the group decided to go ahead with drug tests for students it would begin at the start of next school year. Brandt said the task force would not be looking into drug testing teachers who are already employed, but may look into drug testing applicants for employment. "The task force is charged with looking into student drug testing, the task force won't talk about teacher drug testing, though we may have to get into that at some point," Brandt said. "The reality is that the teachers have a collective bargaining agreement and we would have to go through a legal process to change that before it expires," he said. "The task force can look into drug testing new hires before they become members of the union, that's much more doable. We can't force people to put something in or take something out of a contract." Dunn said the union would not change the contract until it expires. Newport Schools attorney Brandon Voelker said he's not aware of any district that drug tests its teachers. "I don't know of teachers anywhere that are drug tested," Voelker said. "This is an added wrinkle in the system because of the collective bargaining agreement, so we are going to have to look into that and work through it." Brandt said that until the task force comes back with a recommendation and a policy change for next school year, he will have students wanting to participate in winter activities sign a good behavior consent form. "I want both parents and students to commit to good behavior 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Brandt said. "If a coach, director or group leader finds out otherwise, appropriate action will be taken." - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine