Pubdate: Sun, 16 Dec 2007
Source: Vail Daily (CO)
Copyright: 2007 Vail Daily
Contact: http://www.vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/letter/index.pbs
Website: http://www.vaildaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3233
Author: Matt Terrell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

RANDOM DRUG TESTING COMING TO BATTLE MOUNTAIN?

A random drug testing policy is being developed at  Battle Mountain
High School to bring down substance  abuse problems being reported at
the school.

The policy is still a work in progress. The main idea  though is that
students involved in extra-curricular  activities like sports would be
subject to drug  testing. With about 75 percent of the students Battle
  Mountain involved in extra curricular activities, a  drug testing
policy would effect a lot of students.

The details, though, haven't been decided, and the  details are pretty
important to doing the testing  right, principal Brian Hester said.

For instance, how many students should be tested? How  often should
they be tested? What do you test for? It  will be important to find a
reliable, certified place  to do the tests, Hester said, and of
course, cost will  be a factor as well.

And while the law allows mandatory testing only for  students in
extra-curricular activities, parents could  be allowed to sign up
their children for the testing  pool.

The school is also trying to figure out what will  happen if a student
tests positive for drugs. The  school wants to have some sort of
intervention and help  program available instead of simply punishing
the  student and pulling them off the team.

And right now, finding the right kind of family  counseling and help
programs in the valley has been  difficult, said Jeanne Hennessy,
guidance a counselor  at the school.

Giving kids an 'excuse'

The goal, along with finding and helping students who  are using
drugs, is to deter drug use all together.

While some students may not be daunted by the idea of  being kicked
off a sports team, many students realize  they'd be letting their
teammates down if they were  caught with drugs and forced to sit out
games, athletic  director Rich Houghton said.

Having this policy gives kids an "excuse" to say no,  said Margaret
Olle, a parent of two students at Battle  Mountain. Many times
students are expected to go to  parties, because everyone else is, but
they don't  really want to be in a drug-filled environment.

"Kids can say, 'I can't go out drinking and smoking  with you, I might
be drug tested this week,'" Olle  said.

Parents say there's a large rift between students who  drink and do
drugs and students who don't. Kids who  want to abstain often have a
hard time speaking up. A  drug testing policy gives support to kids
who want to  stay clean, Hester said.

"We want to give power back to students who aren't  using," he
said.

Houghton said he's like to see some sort of reward  system for
students who stay clean.
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