LAWSUIT TO TARGET TULIA DRUG TESTING

A Tulia parent plans to file a lawsuit against Tulia ISD to prevent
his son from being tested for drugs.

Alan Bean, parent of a Tulia High School sophomore, and a leader in
the Friends of Justice organization, made the decision after the
board refused to exempt his son from testing.

Last year, District Judge Mary Lou Robinson in Amarillo ruled against
the district, saying that its random drug-testing program for
students involved in extracurricular activities is a violation of the
Fourth Amendment.

The district claims in an appeal of the ruling that it applied only
to the two students involved in the earlier lawsuit.

If he refuses to take the test, Bean's son, Amos, could be barred
from playing sports at the school.

Bean asked the school board to exempt his son from testing during its
meeting Tuesday night, explaining that he believed the policy
violated his son's constitutional rights.

But Superintendent Dr. Ken Miller said Bean's request was denied
because the drug-testing policy is important and must be evenly
applied.

"The decision was not to change any policy," he said. "The board
implemented the policy as an effort to help the kids stay drug-free,
to give them a way to say no."

The school district tests 10 percent of student athletes every month,
so Bean would only be affected if he refused to take the test.

But his father said he would sue regardless if his son was picked to be tested.

The Friends of Justice group was organized last year in the wake of a
controversial drug sting in Tulia.