Pubdate: Fri, 16 Dec 2005
Source: Paris News (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Paris News
Contact:  http://www.theparisnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/997
Author: Shalina Ramirez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

CLARKSVILLE APPROVES DRUG TESTING

CLARKSVILLE -- School trustees here have adopted a drug testing policy
for students participating in extracurricular activities.

But Clarksville Independent School District trustees also made it
clear that further adjustments in the policy would be forthcoming if
needed.

The action came Thursday night during a regular session. Harold
Sheppard, president; Jimmy Caldwell, secretary; and Michael Townes,
trustee, did not attend.

"What I did was adjust the sanctions," Superintendent Joe Oliver said.

Revived sanctions for the first positive test result state the student
and parent/guardians will participate in a mandatory conference with
the district's administrator and/or campus principal.

The student will be suspended from participation in extracurricular
activities for 30 calendar days and must agree to mandatory testing
during the next three random testing periods.

The agreement states sanctions for a second positive test require
student suspension from participation in extracurricular activities
for 90 calendar days. The student must also successfully complete, at
the expense of their parents or guardians, a drug counseling program
approved by the district.

The district's administrator may re-admit the student into the program
after the student has successfully completed the 90-calendar-day
suspension and drug counseling program.

If the student is re-admitted, the student must agree to mandatory
testing during the next six random testing periods, according to the
drug testing agreement.

A third positive test would result in the student's suspension from
participation in the district's extracurricular activities for one
calendar year.

"This isn't TEA (Texas Education Agency) mandate," Oliver said. "This
is us so we can make the adjustments."

Trustees agreed to submit grades 7-12 to initial drug screening rather
than the proposed 6-12 grades.

The board also debated whether it should accept the policy as is or
consider further revisions.

"If we're going to do it," Board member Bill Rains said. "We need to
let the kids know. We can make the adjustments in January."

Rains said he did not want to begin testing students before all final
revisions were complete.

"I think we need to get it said before we test," Oliver said.

Trustees hope to begin testing to as early as this spring.

"I just think it's a good deterrent," Oliver said. "We're not here to
put kids in jail."

The drug policy agreement is with Compliance Consortium Corp. of
Belton and offers three types of drug testing services at different
costs.

Services would include a three-panel screening for $17; five-panel
screening for $18; and a 10-panel screening for $20. Each screening
varies in the substances it would test for.

The agreement states substances available for testing include
amphetamine/methamphetamine, cocaine, opiates/morphine, barbiturate,
methadone, marijuana, phencyclidine, benzodiapine, propoxyphene, and
methaqualone.

The policy, which also includes employee drug testing, states the
purpose of the program is to insure the health and safety of students
and to serve as a deterrent to the use of drugs.

Implementing this program is intended to send a message to students
that the school system does care about them and what they do to their
bodies. It is a clear indication that the Clarksville schools will not
tolerate drug abuse in the school system, the policy states.

The agreement calls for all students in grades 7-12 participating in
extracurricular activities to submit to an initial drug screen
(mandatory screen) at the beginning of each year and subjects them to
drug testing throughout the course of the school year. Students will
be required to provide the district with written consent signed by
both the student and a parent or guardian.

The laboratory used must be certified to administer drug testing and
all presumptive positive results will be confirmed in a Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) certified
laboratory using GC/MS analytical procedures. Only the student, a
parent or guardian, and school officials designated by the
superintendent can see test results.

The policy states confidentiality shall be maintained at all levels.
Results shall not be placed in student records. No action shall be
taken by the school against the student with a positive test result
other than suspension from participating in extracurricular
activities, according to the policy.

The names of students to be tested will be selected randomly by the
vendor for each testing occurrence using a student identification
number or Social Security number. Under no circumstances will human
interference be allowed to alter the randomized nature of student selection.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin