COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD CONSIDERS DRUG TESTING FOR STUDENTS

At their April Meeting, members of the Pontotoc County School Board heard a
presentation about drug testing of students, given by Mitchell Keyes and
Van Hopkins from ADAPTS, LLC, a Tupelo drug testing firm. They currently
conduct drug tests on county bus drivers.

The student testing program consists of random monthly testing for the
presence of popular drugs plus prescription medications and other lesser
known or less popular abusive substances. A current drug problem among
teens is called "skittling" or the use of non-prescription cough
suppressants to achieve euphoria. The type of test kit used by ADAPTS can
detect all of these substances.

Testing targets students in grades seven through 12 and the company
recommends testing grades 10 and above. Permission from parents to perform
testing is requested at the beginning of the school year when the parents
acknowledge the receipt of the school handbook and agree to its provisions.
The company provides assistance to the school board in preparing the drug
policy which will be circulated with the handbook.

Keyes and Hopkins said they help schools counsel parents of students who
test positive for substance abuse. They also promote corrective action that
is constructive, not punitive, such as restriction from extracurricular
activities and driving, education on the perils of drug use, counseling for
students and parents, and, after multiple failed tests, a drug treatment
program.

They cited success in a nearby county where initial drug testing resulted
in positive results from 1 in 9 students, reduced to 1 in 28 students on
repeat testing.

The cost of the drug testing program could be around $25,000 per year.
However, partial funding may be obtained from Title IV Drug Free Schools
funding. The school board decided to consider the ADAPTS proposal and
requested a program cost estimate.

The board adopted a modified 10-point grading scale for the school year
2008-2009. Thus, grades of 90 to 100 will be A's, 80 to 90 will be B's, 70
to 80 will be C's, 65 to 70 will be D's, and below 65 will be F's.

Eleven new teacher and staff positions were created for the next school
year due to expected student population increases on both campuses.