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."
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MAP posted-by: Elaine