SILVER LAKE BOARD OKS RANDOM DRUG-TESTING POLICY

SILVER LAKE -- School board members Monday moved forward with plans to
adopt a random drug-testing policy for students involved in after-school
activities two weeks after learning hypodermic needles found in the boys'
locker room this summer tested positive for steroids.

At the board's direction, superintendent Steve Pegram will return with a
draft of a drug-testing policy at the December or January meeting. If
approved, the policy could be implemented next fall.

The majority of high school student council members favored the proposal,
as did members of a high school site council of parents and staff. The
district newsletter asked patrons to contact school officials with
questions or comments, but Pegram said he had only received three e-mails
and spoke to two people who dropped into the office.

Interest in random drug testing was sparked after maintenance workers this
summer discovered four hypodermic needles while power spraying the boys'
locker room at Silver Lake High School, Pegram said.

The needles were sent to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for testing,
and the district recently learned they had contained steroids. Pegram said
there was no way to tell how long the needles had been there. The locker
room facility is 7 years old.

Following the discussion, the board voted to stop funding a club soccer
program in the 2001-02 school year. The program was started three years ago
on a trial basis and was up for renewal this year. The item drew a crowd of
about 20.

Pegram said the main reason the board decided to stop funding the program
was low participation. The board had determined the program needed 16
participants. Of the 15 players on the roster last season, three lived
outside the district and a fourth was a fifth-year senior.

In other business, the board:

• Voted against a Kansas State High School Activities Association proposal
to expand the football districts to eight schools from four.

The proposal would allow two teams from each district to qualify for state
and would allow seven, instead of three, of a team's nine games to count
toward qualifying for the playoffs. The proposal is popular among western
Kansas districts that have difficulty scheduling games, but is unpopular
among urban and suburban districts that would have to travel farther to
games. The executive board will review the feedback it receives and make a
decision.

• Purchased a lot adjacent to Silver Lake Elementary that could be used for
a future central office if the need arises, Pegram said. The purchase price
was $14,000 and closing costs.

• Recognized employees of the month -- Carolyn Worthington, the Silver Lake
Elementary computer teacher; Nancy Peak, a paraprofessional; and Lidia
Gilliland, a Silver Lake Junior High math teacher.