A new drug testing policy for Kanawha County Schools employees should be in effect in the next 30 days, said Kanawha County Schools attorney Jim Withrow. School board members unanimously passed a final version of the policy at a board meeting Monday night, but not before board member Pete Thaw tried to amend it. He wanted to include principals, vice principals, the superintendent, aides, teachers and board members as safety sensitive employees. His motion failed 4 to 1. Under the current policy, safety sensitive employees include anyone who operates dangerous machinery, anyone who operates a county-owned vehicle, anyone whose job duties include administering medication to students, anyone who drives his or her own vehicle on school business on a routine or regular basis, and any other person who volunteers to be subject to the policy. [continues 750 words]
Dozens of Kanawha County school employees have spoken out against a proposed drug policy, even as the school system appears ready to back off random drug testing for faculty and administrators. Board members are set to vote Dec. 13 on the proposed policy that would drug test employees in safety sensitive positions, such as principals, counselors, coaches, teachers and child care workers. The proposed policy does not include random drug testing because some education officials were concerned about becoming the first school board in the state to enforce such measures, said Jim Withrow, general counsel for Kanawha County Schools. An adviser earlier had said the school system should brace for winding up in court as a test case over the policy. [continues 1025 words]
I'm writing about the Daily Mail's Oct. 19 thoughtful editorial, "Just say no to drug testing." As the parent of a 16-year-old, the ideal is that my son will never use any illegal drugs. However, if he does use an illegal drug, I would hope it is marijuana and only marijuana. Drug testing discourages this, because marijuana is fat-soluble. As a result, marijuana stays in a person's system for up to several weeks. On the other hand, drugs like meth, cocaine and heroin exit the body within a few days because they are water-soluble. [continues 59 words]
This is in response to the Daily Mail's Oct. 19 editorial "Just say no to drug testing." Bravo for sanity. Beyond the fiscal and legal aspects of inflicting drug testing against those once "presumed innocent until proven guilty," there is another aspect of the debate that needs to be considered. Simply put: If you can't tell who the drug users are without testing their waste fluids, then exactly what sort of "problem" are they? Brian C. Bennett North Garden, Va. [end]
Kanawha County school board members are still trying to decide whether to institute a random drug testing provision for teachers and administrators, facing the likelihood that the school system would wind up in court over doing so. Howard Seufer, a Charleston lawyer, told board members about the legal aspects of drug testing public employees, which all school service personnel are considered. He spoke at a meeting Wednesday night. There are five different types of drug tests, Seufer said. The first is legally compelled testing. That means employers are required by federal law to drug test employees in certain fields of work. For example, all bus drivers are required by law to be drug tested. [continues 603 words]
KANAWHA County school board member Pete Thaw wants to institute random drug testing for teachers and administrators. Here we go again. The board should not bother testing teachers and administrators unless there is some cause to think it is necessary. The county now gives drug tests to school bus drivers and other employees involved directly with the safety of children. This protects students from harm and likely protects the county from lawsuits. The courts have upheld the testing of bus drivers and others in safety-sensitive positions. [continues 214 words]
Heroin use is escalating among an already growing addiction to drugs in Huntington. Genise Lalos, director of addiction services for the Prestera Center in Huntington, said she has noticed a major increase in treatment of individuals using opiates, which also includes drugs like oxycontin and methadone, among others. "In 2001, we saw only 51 cases of heroin use," Lalos said. "In 2005, that number rose up to 249 cases." Lalos also has noticed more young people seeking treatment for opiate abuse. [continues 237 words]
Custodian Roland Cook used to find empty bleach bottles piled high in the Dumpster outside Anne Bailey Elementary School in St. Albans. He'd think to himself, "Someone's been doing some seriously cleaning." More than likely, someone was cooking meth. Cook said he'd frequently discover all sorts of meth-making materials - - Coleman fuel cans, cold tablet packets and bottles of brake fluid and toilet bowl cleaner - after hauling the day's trash out to the school Dumpster. At the time, Cook didn't think much of these findings. He had no idea what meth was. [continues 648 words]
The Charleston Police Department has received a pair of grants to help curb gang and drug activity. At a City Council meeting on Monday, the funds for an anti-gang grant from the state Division of Criminal Justice and a U.S Department of Justice grant aimed at deterring methamphetamine production were discussed. The anti-gang grant, which totals $77,392, will provide funds for travel, training and overtime for the city's Gang Task Force. The task force is made up of two police officers that cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to get gangs off the streets. [continues 328 words]
Agencies Must Not Obtain A Warrant Before Putting A Wire On An Informant. BUCKHANNON -- The State Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that law enforcement agencies would have to obtain a warrant before placing a wire on informants. After a recent special legislative session, Governor Joe Manchin signed a bill that eased some of those restrictions but it is still keeping many departments hand-cuffed when it comes to surveillance. When the court made its ruling, it said that if you wanted to place a wire on an informant and send him into a suspect's home, you first had to get a warrant to do so. But only five circuit court judges in the state were authorized to grant those warrants. [continues 118 words]
Officer begins walking high school beat in St. Albans Patrolman Mike Page moved through the bustling cafeteria at St. Albans High School on Tuesday, shaking hands with students and flashing smiles. It was the second day on the job for Page, the school's new prevention resource officer, but it wasn't exactly unfamiliar territory. "The kids know me. I play basketball with them. I lift weights with them," he explained. "It's not like I'm a stranger." - advertisement St. Albans Principal Tom Williams said Page's presence will be felt throughout the school day and across the campus. [continues 390 words]
CHARLESTON, W.VA. - Drug shipments from illegal online pharmacies were once so frequent in Appalachia that delivery companies had to add trucks to their routes. Police have cracked down on such deliveries but are confronted by a booming global network of so-called rogue pharmacies operating online. For people addicted to prescription medications such as the painkiller hydrocodone - sold mostly as Vicodin - the days of "doctor shopping" are over as long as they have Internet access. With the help of unscrupulous doctors and pharmacists, hundreds of Web sites dispense prescription narcotics to customers in exchange for nothing more than a credit card number. [continues 692 words]
Kanawha County school officials can expect heated opposition on several fronts as they again consider whether to test employees for drugs. Local teachers unions and the state American Civil Liberties Union have fought the Board of Education's efforts to pass a drug policy. Opponents quote legal arguments, stating why they believe courts would strike down random testing and other types of "suspicion-less" inquiry. "Fine. Let's go at it," board member Pete Thaw said Tuesday. He has strongly supported random testing, saying educators charged with possessing cocaine, marijuana and other illicit drugs should not be around children. [continues 529 words]
THE Kanawha County Board of Education resisted the temptation this spring to expand random drug tests for school bus drivers to include just about every other employee in the school system. Such a plan would cost $200,000 to implement, not counting the expense of disciplinary and grievance hearings should anyone test positive. Following the arrest of a teacher on drug charges, the proposal has returned. Here we go again. Reporter Jessica M. Karmasek found that only Hawaii is considering drug testing, as part of a deal with the teachers union that would give teachers a hefty pay raise. [continues 82 words]
Many states are discussing drug testing of teachers, but few are actually going ahead with it. The Kanawha County school system rejected a proposed policy last spring, but another teacher drug arrest caused the issue to be resurrected. Only Hawaii is further along with a teacher drug-testing program, according to information provided by the National School Boards Association. There, random drug testing for employees is a provision in a proposed new labor contract for teachers. The contract also would include a hefty pay raise for teachers. [continues 717 words]
For Rich, Not Students AMERICA'S precious freedom of speech -- a cornerstone of democracy, guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights -- took a hit from the U.S. Supreme Court last week. Conservative justices ruled 5-4 that free speech gives big-money interest groups a right to buy last-minute smear ads before an election -- but also ruled 5-4 that free speech doesn't let a high school student hold up a sign with the nonsense message, "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." [continues 287 words]
State Supreme Court justices admonished a Clay County judge for not remaining impartial and neutral in a methamphetamine case, granting defendant Gerald Mark Thompson Jr. a new trial in an opinion last week. The court found that Circuit Judge Richard A. Facemire "abandoned his role of impartiality and neutrality and that his role in both questioning witnesses and making comments to aid the prosecuting attorney in the presentation of the state's case seriously affected the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of the judicial proceedings," Justice Larry Starcher wrote for a unanimous court. [continues 661 words]
I respond to the Daily Mail's April 30 story, "Pot growers turn out more potent product." Government makes it harder to grow the God-given plant cannabis (marijuana, the devil weed). Then the result is more indoor-grown plants, making the average THC levels rise. What a shock. Did government and media, including the Daily Mail, forget about Acapulco Gold and Maui Wowie? Heck, the devil weed is stronger. It's a Schedule I substance. Meth and coke are only Schedule II. So I guess I'll do some coke and meth instead. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Selling garden herbs shouldn't be illegal The feds try to control vitamins, supplements, and even water. The Food and Drug Administration may regulate natural substances as drugs.. Are we victims or victors? Man or mouse? Together we stand, divided we fall. Rich, powerful people promote legislation for the profit of the few, while the many, suffer because we're not informed or unified. Speak up against the FDA trying to pass this legislation. Growing and selling common garden herbs will get you arrested as a drug dealer. Vegetable juice will be regulated as a drug. Raw sprouts and other anti-cancer foods will be regulated as drugs. Preserve your health and your freedom by action. TruthSeekers meet monthly at TopORock in Charleston, W.Va. I can be reached by e-mail at Ted@abodia.com or www.abodia.com. Ted Elden Charleston [end]
I'm writing about Howard J. Wooldridge's outstanding column "Legalizing drugs is better way to fight drug problem" on April 10. The so-called war on drugs was lost before it began. No matter how much money we throw down the drug war rat hole, we will never be able to nullify the immutable law of supply and demand. As long as people want recreational drugs, and they are willing to pay a substantial price for the drugs, somebody will produce them, and somebody else will get the drugs to the willing buyers. [continues 137 words]
Inside West Virginia
