Pubdate: Tue, 23 May 2000 Source: Press & Sun Bulletin (NY) Copyright: 2000 Press & Sun Bulletin Contact: P.O. Box 1270, Binghamton NY 13902 Fax: (607) 798-1113 Feedback: http://www.binghamtonpress.com/contact/lettertoeditor.html Website: http://www.binghamtonpress.com/newsindex.html Author: George Basler PANEL TO REVIEW SV DRUG-TESTING CONCERNS Report To Board Due By June 15 The Susquehanna Valley Board of Education has formed a special committee to look at concerns about the district's new drug-testing policy prior to its July 1 start date. The committee, to include three opponents of the policy, will review issues raised by critics, said board member Mary M. Rader, who will be one of its members. Two school board members and the district's attorney will also sit on the committee. The committee's formation does not signal the school board is preparing to back off from the policy, which it approved by a 6-3 vote in March, district officials said Monday. But, "I think it's safe to say the board considers the information (from the critics) serious enough to take another look at it," said Jim Hull, the district's public information coordinator. The new committee will hold its first meeting tonight and is due to submit a report to the school board by the June 15 meeting. In the meantime, school officials announced Monday the district has postponed an informational meeting on the policy that had been scheduled for tonight at the high school. No decision has been made on whether the meeting will be rescheduled, the district said. The school board agreed to form the new committee last Thursday during a board meeting that a group of organized opponents, Parents Against Drug Testing, attended to criticize the policy. At the meeting, opponents restated concerns about the confidentiality of test results and the fairness of only testing student athletes. They also raised questions about funding of the testing, charging that the district has no guarantee that state officials will approve the use of Safe and Drug-Free Schools money for the testing. The formation of the new committee is "a step in the right direction," said Rusty Storm, an opponent of drug testing who was elected to the school board last week. He thinks the board and opponents of the policy may be able to reach common ground, but emphasized his group remains strongly opposed to mandatory drug testing. Rader said she hopes the committee can reach a consensus to end division in the community over the policy. "We're going to be looking at concerns they (opponents) have and concerns a few of us board members have." The new committee will review issues raised by critics, said Board President Sandra H. Ruffo. She did not want to prejudge what it will recommend to the board in June. Timothy O'Hearn, health and wellness coordinator for the school district, said he respects the board's decision to form the new committee. O'Hearn has been a proponent of the policy. The school board approved the policy after a 14-member committee, including residents, recommended it. All athletes will be tested at the beginning of the school year, with random tests for four athletes each week during a season. Students who test positive would have be cleared by a doctor and undergo substance abuse counseling to stay on a team. - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson