ADMINISTRATION SHOULD PAY FOR DRUG TESTING

At the Jan. 24 meeting, Board of Education members voted 7-0 against
taking money from the Department of Education budget to fund drug
testing of teachers, counselors, librarians and others in HSTA Unit 5.

For some, their vote came down to opposing using money from schools
and students to pay for drug testing. For others, the vote came down
to the philosophical or practical merits of drug testing. There may
be other reasons as well.

If we're going to have random drug testing in our public education
system, let it be for all employees, not just teachers. As a 33-year
military veteran, undergoing random drug testing was part of the job.
It comes down to ensuring the safety of others and self. My
granddaughter's third-grade reading teacher recently pled guilty to
possession and distribution of drugs. I believe the focus should be
on the safety of students.

The administration should stand by its commitment to include drug
testing in the contractual agreement with HSTA. The administration
should fund drug testing. Drug testing should not be an unfunded mandate.

More importantly, the money should not come from schools.

John Penebacker Board of Education member