DRUG TEST PROPOSAL DRAWS IRE

An Upstate senator wants teachers randomly tested for drugs, but his
intention might cause contention when the Legislature reconvenes.

Sen. Mike Fair of Greenville says "testing for illicit drugs is a
no-brainer," but some of his colleagues say Mr. Fair has lost his mind.

"Why should I want teachers tested?" said Rep. Robert S."Skipper" Perry,
R-Aiken. "If we did that, we might as well test every state employee.
Nobody has called me to complain, and that tells me the issue must not be
an issue at all."

As it stands now, bus drivers are the only public school employees who are
tested for illegal drugs.

Mr. Fair's plan also has struck a nerve with the American Civil Liberties
Union. The organization believes drug testing is a blatant invasion of
employee privacy, said LaVerne Neal, executive director of the South
Carolina branch of the ACLU. Not only does the test make known a person's
previous or current drug use, but it also reveals health problems or a
pregnancy, she said. The only exception to the ACLU's rule is when someone
appears to be under the influence on the job and is a danger to others.

Diane Giddings, a candidate for Aiken County's Board of Education, said
Friday that testing teachers for drug use isn't a bad idea, especially
since a Richmond County teacher, Deborah Foley, was charged last week with
manufacturing and possessing marijuana. Deputies seized from her home $616
in cash, marijuana plants and 30 Ecstasy pills.

"You would hope that our teachers know what's right and what's wrong," Ms.
Giddings said. "But there are some out there who probably don't."

Also last week, a former Timmonsville, S.C., police lieutenant, who once
led the department's anti-drug program for schoolchildren, was sentenced to
nearly 14 years behind bars for providing protection for interstate
trafficking of illegal drugs.

Mr. Fair also wants to tighten the state law requiring criminal background
checks on public employees. Teachers, principals and superintendents are
checked for a criminal record in a national database when they become state
certified. But school districts can check other employees, including
teachers' aides and custodians, said Jim Foster, a spokesman for the South
Carolina Department of Education.

In Aiken County, all first-time employees are checked.

"Some glaring inequities exist right now, and some are inexcusable," Mr.
Fair said. "We need to reach beyond the state's borders when we conduct
background checks on public employees."

Mr. Fair says he will pen both pieces of legislation when lawmakers return
to the Statehouse in January.