Pubdate: Thu, 24 Jan 2008
Source: Express-Times, The (PA)
Copyright: 2008 The Express-Times
Contact:  http://www.pennlive.com/expresstimes/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1489
Author: Colin McEvoy, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

EASTON AREA DRUG-TESTING POLICY MOVING TOWARD VOTE

EASTON - Easton Area School District officials are  using a western
Pennsylvania district as a model in  crafting a drug-testing policy
and hope it will be as  effective here as it has been there.

Since the Clairton City School District introduced its  pre-employment
drug-testing policy one year ago, at  least one prospective teacher
was not hired due to a  positive test result.

Board member Richard Levingston said that would have  been one teacher
too many.

"It was well worth the policy being issued," he said.

"I think it's just another way for us to protect our  students," said
Easton Area School Board President Pat  Vulcano Jr. "We want to make
sure that who we hire  isn't some kind of substance abuser."

The policy committee will discuss drug testing at its  Feb. 14 meeting
and present the policy for a vote  before the full board Feb. 21.

Under the Clairton policy, an applicant must be tested  by a
district-approved laboratory when applying for a  job and will not be
considered for employment if the  test comes back positive.

Pam Millen-Eustis, chairwoman of the Easton policy  committee who
first proposed the Easton policy, also  wants a requirement for
applicants to be tested within  24 hours of applying.

Millen-Eustis, a former office manager of a drug and  alcohol
facility, said marijuana smokers can take a  "urine cleaner drink" to
clear any traces of drugs in  only a few days.

Sometimes, applicants with too much prior notice even  sneak "clean
urine" into a test by taping a condom full  of a friend's urine to
their thigh "to keep it at body  temperature," she said.

"As disgusting as that is, it happens," she said. "You  can always
beat the system. It's an unfortunate fact,  but you can."

Vulcano said the policy should also include a provision  protecting
applicants who take legal prescription  drugs.

"Occasionally, I myself have to take a prescription  painkiller for my
knee," Vulcano said. "But we would  check to see if the person
actually has a prescription  from a doctor to use that particular
drug. We would be  very cautious."

The pre-employment policy would only affect prospective  staff and
teachers. The board briefly discussed a  random drug-testing policy
for current teachers, but  dropped it when members said it would have
to be  negotiated into the teachers' contracts, which were  approved
last month.

Although local district solicitors warned that a random  policy might
violate constitutional rights,  Millen-Eustis said she hoped the
pre-employment policy  might lead to random testing years down the
road.

"If a group were to fight back, that would really raise  a question
for me whether they should work in a school  district teaching our
children," she said. "If you have  a problem with that, that's a red
flag."
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin