Pubdate: Sun, 21 Jan 2007
Source: Journal and Courier (IN)
Copyright: 2007 Federated Publications, Inc
Contact: http://www.lafayettejc.com/letters.shtml
Website: http://www.jconline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1691
Author: Joe Larson, staff writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

Twin Lakes schools may start drug testing

By JOE LARSON

MONTICELLO -- The Twin Lakes School Board may make eligible for drug
testing hundreds of students between  grades seven and 12.

If an idea discussed Tuesday is implemented, the school  corporation
would enter certain students into a pool  for random testing. Included
would be students who play  sports, participate in clubs, drive to
school or take drivers' education courses.

A community forum on the issue will be held at the  school in late
February, but no vote on the matter has  been scheduled.

"I don't mind it, but if they're going to test  athletes, they should
test everyone, including faculty  and staff," said Rick Raderstorf,
whose daughter is a  student at Twin Lakes High School.

Up to a third of Indiana's 290 school corporations  screen students
for illicit substances, estimated Dave  Emmert, general counsel for
the Indiana School Board  Association.

"Our kids are no different than any other kids today,"  said Thomas
Fletcher, superintendent of Twin Lakes  School Corp.

Twin Lakes School Corp. has discussed random drug  testing for years
but until now has not attempted to  implement it, Fletcher said.

The school corporation has around 1,000 students  between grades seven
and 12. Fletcher estimates 60 to  65 percent of them would be eligible
for testing based  on the standards the school board considered Tuesday.

School corporations legally can only test students who  participate in
voluntary activities or who make  themselves suspect for substance
abuse.

"It would be unconstitutional to test regular students  because
they're forced to be there," Emmert said.

The practice of testing students who participate in  extracurricular
activities has been upheld in courts at  the state and national level,
he added.

If the Twin Lakes School Corp. does decide to implement  drug testing,
a few eligible students would be chosen  at random for urine tests
every four to six weeks.

The frequency of the tests and the number of students  to whom they
are administered would depend on the  availability of funding from
grants and other sources,  Fletcher said.

He believes the drugs for which students are most  likely to test
positive are alcohol and marijuana. The  mere implementation of a
detection process may  discourage the use of both.

"Drug testing could help them say 'no' to drugs,"  Fletcher
said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin