RANKIN BOARD MAY APPROVE DRUG TESTING

Little scientific research has been done to determine the effectiveness of
drug-testing programs in schools, but anecdotal evidence and studies
suggest that such programs do deter adolescent drug use.

The Rankin County School District hopes testing will be the answer as board
members move toward approving a policy. If board members sign off on the
drug-testing program on Wednesday, Rankin will become the third metro-area
district and one of at least eight in the state to adopt testing.

Rankin's plan, which school officials call one of the most aggressive in
the state, will subject seventh-through 12th-grade students participating
in extracurricular activities or under "reasonable suspicion" to random
drug screenings.

"We want to do everything we can to reverse the trend of drug use in our
schools," Superintendent Lynn Weathersby said.

The district, the third-largest in the state with more than 16,000
students, reported 37 incidents of drug possession during the 2003-04
school year, according to data from the state Department of Education.