TCHS TO TEST STUDENTS FOR DRUG USE

December 10, 2007 the Lewisville School board approved the new drug
testing policy for all high schools in the district.

The drug testing will begin on April 14 with a pool of students drawn
from 80 percent of the school population.

"In June 2002 the Supreme Court of the United States made it legal for
schools to test students for drugs if they are involved in any
extracurricular activities," said Lynn Charles, a councilor in the
Safe and Drug Free office for LISD.

The pool of students for the drug testing will be made up from three
categories. Students who are part of an extracurricular activity such
as sports, band, and debate teams, students that have parking permits
and students that parents have voluntarily put their children into the
testing pool.

The testing is being managed by Forward Edge Inc head quartered in
Pasadena Texas with a branch office in the Dallas, Houston, and Boger
Texas.

During the spring semester 75 students per week will be selected from
the pool of students. The students will be told on the day of the
testing to report to a testing location in the building to provide a
urine sample. If the student is unable to provide the sample after
three hours then the test will be listed as a refusal and reported to
the school. Samples that are collected will be sent to a lab and
tested for drug use. The panel of drugs tested for will include, but
not be limited to, marijuana, cocaine, prescription painkillers or
opiates, PCP, Sedatives, and stimulants.

If the student fails the test the parents will be called to see if
there is a reason for the failure. "If we find that the student has
prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin, or Metadate then it will be
marked as a pass," said Margret Gilbert with Forward Edge Inc. "We
will have the parent send us a copy of the prescription or a phone
number for a doctor that can confirm the prescription."

If there is no justified reason for the failure then the parents have
an option for a second test to be ran on the sample. This carries a
cost of $100.00 to the parent and will be reimbursed to the parent if
the second test shows a false reading.

Once a student shows positive for drug use, and the parents have been
notified, the district Safe and Drug Free office will be notified.

On the first offence the student will not be allowed to participate in
any extracurricular activities and lose parking privileges for three
weeks. They will also be required to have three counseling sessions
with either the Safe and Drug Free office councilor or a doctor of the
parent's choice.

On the second offence the student will not be allowed to participate
in any extracurricular activities and lose parking privileges for six
weeks, be enrolled in the ADAPT program, and have weekly drug testing
during the six weeks.

On the third offence the student will lose privileges for a full
calendar year, have to attend family counseling sessions, and pass
another drug test before they are given the privileges back.

"At no time will the data or the results of the test be added to the
students educational records. They will also not be turned over to
employers, or collages," Gilbert said. "We have to protect the records
as medical records and they will not be disclosed to anyone."

"Why not put all students into the pool," asked Dan Paxton, who has
contacted the ACLU to see of the testing is legal. "I think it should
be all students or none of them."

"The Supreme Court ruled that not all of the students could be tested
as it would be a violation of the free education policies. However,
they did rule that any students in extracurricular activities could be
tested since it is a privilege and not a right," said Randy Mays,
Athletic Director for LIDS.

"Texas courts then turned around and said that we could test students
that have a parking permit. Since the school provides transportation
to students that live over two miles from the school then driving to
school is also a privilege as well," Mays said.

Michael Burrow feels the same way. "I am all for them testing my son,
but I think that it should be all or none as well," Burrow said. "I
work for a clinical lab and don't have any problems with the testing,
but I think that it should include everyone to be fair."