Pubdate: Tue, 18 Apr 2006
Source: Hattiesburg American (MS)
AID=/20
Copyright: 2006 Hattiesburg American
Contact:  http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1646
Author: Nancy Kaffer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

HHS ADOPTS POLICY FOR DRUG TESTING

Starting this summer, students at Hattiesburg High School will be  
subject to random drug screenings - if they want to participate in  
extracurricular activities.

Students who participate in extracurricular activities ranging from  
power lifting to show choir will be subject to drug screening under  
the new policy, which goes into effect July 15.

Hattiesburg Superintendent Annie Wimbish said the policy is designed  
to deter student drug use.

"We have heard so much on the news about steroids," Wimbish said.  
"This is an effort to help kids think safe and be safe."

About 10 percent of the district's ninth-through 12th-grade students  
will be screened each year.

Students who test positive are barred from 20 percent of that  
season's games. A second offense puts a student out of  
extracurriculars for the rest of the school year, a third offense for  
12 months. Students who test positive a fourth time permanently are  
banned from district extracurricular activities. In all cases, a  
parent or guardian is notified.

Wimbish said the policy is modeled after neighboring districts'  
programs.

"We didn't reinvent the wheel, here," Wimbish said.

Like other districts' policies, Hattiesburg's is geared toward  
handling positive screenings in-house -students who test positive for  
drugs are dealt with by parents and school authorities, not law  
enforcement.

"We will have a major counseling component in there," Wimbish said.  
"If a child was using drugs, we would want to help them."

Random drug screening policies for student athletes were upheld by  
the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002, Petal attorney Bill Jones said,  
despite questions about such policies' constitutionality.

Jones serves on the State Board of Education and as Petal School  
District's attorney.

"More and more schools are adopting those policies," Jones said.

Petal has tested student athletes for 13 years, Superintendent James  
Hutto said.

"The idea behind it is not punitive," Hutto said. "We're not trying  
to punish kids, though there are penalties if you do test positive.  
If kids are dabbling in drugs, we want to help them get on the right  
track."

Many school districts nationwide have drug screening policies for  
athletics, but Jones said the trend has become to extend testing into  
other extracurricular areas, as Hattiesburg's policy does.

Screening too wide a swath of students, Jones said, could open the  
door to another legal challenge.

Parent Dedra Gavin said she doesn't have a problem with random drug  
testing. Her daughter Eboni, a junior, is in Hattiesburg High's band.

"I think testing is a good idea for sports because of things like  
steroids enhancing performance," Gavin said. "But for things like  
band or chorus, I don't see where drugs would have anything to do  
with performance."

Nonetheless, Gavin said she doesn't have a problem with the policy.

"They could test her 24-seven and I wouldn't care," Gavin said.
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