MCLEAN CONSIDERS STUDENT DRUG TESTS

It would be first county to check those who drive to school

CALHOUN The superintendent of the McLean County school district hopes a plan
to randomly drug-test students who drive to school will set a precedent for
others to follow.

"We know there will be some errors, but we still think it's worth the effort
to pull this off," said superintendent Earl Melloy. "We hope to be the first
to take the step and be an example for not only Kentucky, but the rest of
the nation."

Other schools in Kentucky, such as Dayton High School in Campbell County and
Lexington's Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, have policies to test athletes
and students who participate in extracurricular activities. McLean County
would be the first to attempt to test students who drive to school.

"It's pretty much uncharted ground," Melloy said. "A lot of people will be
upset. But I think it's well worth the effort to try to save kids from
things they may not realize will be detrimental to them in the future."

The proposal is only in its planning stages. It includes random testing of
athletes and students in extracurricular activities and excludes existing
school employees, Melloy said. The district is also considering making it a
part of the process for new hires.

Melloy said the schools have not seen evidence of abundant drug use among
students, but geography threatens to make it a problem.

McLean County is in the heart of Western Kentucky's growing methamphetamine
trade, which law enforcement agents have said has reached a critical stage.

"Schools are a microcosm of society," Melloy said. "What you see in society,
you will see in your schools. Now to what extent, or what type of problem we
have, I don't know. But if you have one kid with meth, it's a problem."

McLean County plans to form a committee, which will include school personnel
and members of the public, to look further into the issue.