Pubdate: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 Source: Log Cabin Democrat (AR) Copyright: 2002 The Log Cabin Democrat Contact: http://thecabin.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/548 Author: Tammy Keith Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) BOARD TO VOTE ON DRUG TESTING School officials: Both sides of issue have been weighed The Conway School District's Board of Education will vote Tuesday night on a hotly debated topic in the district -- random drug testing for students. Dr. Terry Fiddler, president of the board, said he has received "a large number (of letters) on both sides" of the issue and has contacted all of the people personally. "The pros and cons have been heard," he said. Fiddler emphasized that he doesn't know whether a policy will be approved or not. "It may be split, it may be unanimous, I don't know." He said changes to the policy could still be suggested by board members Tuesday night. The board will meet at 6 p.m. in the administration building. "Anybody who doesn't think we've crossed our t's and dotted our i's and spent a lot of time on this has their head in the sand," Fiddler maintained. In the proposed policy, students would be tested for five substances: marijuana, opiates, cocaine, methamphetamines and amphetamines. The testing would be done by Counseling Associates of Morrilton and results would be sent to the toxicology lab at Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock to be confirmed. Each test would cost $16. Superintendent James Simmons said the cost would not be more than $10,000 to the school district the first year. He said the idea is to start with fewer students to "make sure we're doing it right procedurally," and then possibly increase the number of students tested. Fiddler said the policy, which was adopted in 2001 and then put on hold, has been revised. The following is an outline of the policy under consideration: Students and the parent or guardian must sign a consent form. Students who do not sign the form will not be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities. The students will be randomly drawn from a pool of all students in extracurricular activities. Parents may request that their child be in the drawing, whether or not the student is involved in extracurricular activities. Students will be able to discuss any medications they have taken. Samples will be collected alone in an individual stall with the door closed. 1. If a student's test is positive for illicit drugs, the parent or legal guardian will be notified and a meeting will be scheduled with the superintendent or his designee, the student, parents and principal. If the student/parent would like to appeal the results of the test, the student will be required to provide another sample. The school district will pay for this second test. If the results of it are negative, no further action will be necessary. 2. If the second sample is positive, the student will be placed on probation and not be allowed to participate in competitions, presentations or activities of Conway Schools for a period of 20 calendar days. Simmons said the student will still be a member of the group. "If you say you've got to go home and can't participate, you've just crushed a kid." He said the students need to stay involved with the group "they've bonded with." The student will be required to attend drug/alcohol counseling, and if any charge is incurred, it will be at the expense of the parent or guardian. On day 21, in order to regain eligibility, the student will be required to be retested -- at the expense of the school district -- and show proof of counseling attendance. If the test is negative, the student will again become eligible for the activity. However, the student must then undergo a mandatory drug screen or lab test on a monthly basis at the expense of the parent/guardian. The screening must be done by a reputable agency or facility capable of screening for the same drugs as the school district's test. The duration would be determined by the intervention program -- a maximum of six months. 3. For the second positive result in the same year, the student will be suspended from participating the remainder of that semester and the following semester. If this positive test is in the spring semester, the student will not be able to participate during the following fall semester until passing a clear test. 4. For the third positive result in two calendar years, the student will be suspended from participating in activities for the remainder of his/her enrollment in the school. This may be appealed to the board. The policy also says no student will be penalized for testing positive for illegal drugs and the results will not be documented in any student's academic records. Also, the district is "not precluded from utilizing other disciplinary measures set forth in the student discipline policy" when founded upon reasonable belief and suspicion that a student has participated in drug-related activities. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh