Pubdate: Thu, 12 May 2005
Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS)
NEWS01/505120358/1002/NEWS01
Copyright: 2005 The Clarion-Ledger
Contact:  http://www.clarionledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805
Author: Joshua Cogswell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test)

RANKIN SCHOOLS OK DRUG TESTING

District's Policy One Of The Strictest In State, Officials Say

Rankin County School Board members on Wednesday gave final approval to what 
school officials have called one of the most aggressive student 
drug-testing programs in the state.

Reaction from parents and students have been generally positive, school 
officials say.

"I think it will knock a lot of kids out of extracurricular activities next 
year, but in the long term it's probably a good idea," said Chris Walt, a 
junior soccer player at Northwest Rankin.

Students who participate in extracurricular activities in grades 7-12 will 
be randomly tested, starting in August. The policy also allows parents of 
minors to sign their children up to be in the pool of randomly tested students.

Students and staff also may be tested if a school official has "reasonable 
suspicion" of drug use.

Rankin joins at least eight districts statewide with a drug-testing policy.

The policy will test about 4,000 to 5,000 of the district's more than 
16,000 students at 12 different schools.

Justin Hallett, an employee who helped craft the district's policy, said it 
will cost about $150,000 to fully implement the program.

Assistant Superintendent Hugh Carr, who also helped design the policy, 
said, "We have an obligation to make sure every student is protected from 
drugs."

Tracie Brown, whose son Avery is an 11th-grade basketball and football 
player at Brandon High, said she supports the policy.

"You have to get tested when you get a job," Brown said. "I have no problem 
with it."

Brown said there are a lot more dangerous drugs in schools today than there 
were when she was in high school in the early 1980s. She believes drug 
testing will ease peer pressure, giving kids a strong reason to say "no."

Phillip and Rhonda Summerlin, whose daughter is a 10th-grade band student 
at Florence High, said they were "all for keeping kids off drugs," but were 
more critical of the policy.

"Why just test the students in athletics and extracurriculars?" Rhonda 
Summerlin asked. "Those are usually the kids who have a good head on their 
shoulders."

The Summerlins also wondered how the district would pay for the plan during 
a tight budget year.

School officials said the district may have to scale back the program if 
the Department of Education's budget request is not fully funded by the 
Legislature. They said they also are applying for federal grants to defray 
the costs of the program.

Randall Wood, a junior at Northwest Rankin who is in the band and on the 
newspaper staff, said a lot of kids are upset about the policy, but he is not.

"It might teach the kids who are into that stuff a lesson," Wood said.

Chris Lallo, a sophomore at Northwest Rankin, said he wasn't aware of the 
policy but does not like the idea of the voluntary pool.

"I wouldn't be too happy about that," Lallo said of the prospect of his 
parents signing him up for random testing.
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(Sidebar)

Policy Guidelines

Here's how the drug and alcohol testing policy will work in the Rankin 
County School District:

All students in activities sanctioned by the Mississippi High School 
Activities Association will be subject to random drug testing.

Randomly will test activity students and students under "reasonable 
suspicion." Also will allow voluntary testing for students whose parents 
want them to be part of the testing pool.

A first offense will carry a mandatory 28-day removal from the 
extracurricular activity. Student must receive counseling and pass another 
drug test to be re-instated.

A second positive test will result in placement at the Alternative School 
for one semester.

If the student is re-instated and tests positive in another random test, 
the student will be placed in the Alternative School for one semester.

The district will provide counseling.

Source: Rankin County School District
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MAP posted-by: Beth