Pubdate: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 Source: Bristol Herald Courier (VA) Copyright: 2004 Bristol Herald Courier Contact: http://www.bristolnews.com/contact.html Website: http://www.bristolnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1211 BRISTOL VIRGINIA SCHOOL BOARD DELAYS VOTE ON DRUG, ALCOHOL POLICY BRISTOL, Va. - After more than two-and-a-half hours of nearly line-by-line discussion, the School Board postponed a vote Monday night on its comprehensive drug and alcohol policy. "I don't think we've gotten to a point where we feel comfortable about it, and we're not ready to (vote on it) yet," said Chairman John Kieffer. "We want to adopt it as a package." Led by board member Jaymie Derden, the board focused less on the major issues and more on details about its implementation. "The discussion tonight has been productive in that (board members) have brought up questions," Kieffer said, adding that it's better for questions to arise during the adoption phase of the policy rather than the implementation and enforcement period. "Deciding on the details is difficult. You can never discuss this too much. There's too much at stake." Amendements made Monday night included eliminating the telephone tips line for students and community members to report alcohol or drug activity, defining who exactly will be subject to random drug testing and omitting and rephrasing wording and definitions within the policy. Key points of the policy such as mandatory drug testing for students involved in extracurricular activities, establishing a counseling program for students involved with drugs and starting parental and student awareness programs remained. Board members emphasized that they wanted to talk to other school systems as well as the School Board's attorney, Joe Lyle, to clarify issues and to ensure the policy's legality. Kieffer said the policy most likely will be considered at the first meeting in February. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh