DRUG TESTING TO BEGIN AT LOCKNEY SCHOOLS; PARENT PLANS PROTEST

When students head back to class next week in Lockney, they'll be asked to
do something they've never been asked to do before: submit to a drug test.

Beginning Tuesday, students in grades six through 12 will be required to
provide a urine sample to the district for a drug screening. It's a
requirement of all students, not just those who wish to participate in
extracurricular activities.

The district debated and began researching a drug testing policy in 1997.
Though the district has been reluctant to implement such a program, Supt.
Raymond Lusk said the district can no longer avoid it.

"It's a long story, but society has just brought us to this point," Lusk
said. "We do a lot of things (now) that at one time we would say was not
the school's job to do. Schools have kind of become all things and our job
description has expanded."

Under the new policy, parents are required to sign a consent form prior to
student testing, Lusk said. If parents refuse, the tests are considered
positive, and students are subject to repercussions.

At least one parent has said he will not sign the consent form. Under the
terms of the policy, his son could face a 21-day suspension from
extracurricular activities, three days of in-school suspension and three
sessions of drug counseling.

"What scares me the most, if I do not sign it, they are going to punish my
child for what I do, and I definitely do not think that's right," Larry
Tannahill said. "I'm not going to sign it. If it comes down to where they
can put my child in ISS, I'll pull him out of school. And go to the grade
school and pull (my second child) out, and then we'll go talk to my lawyer.
And if it has to be taken to court, then I guess that's what I'm going to
have to do."

Lusk said he's willing to talk with reluctant parents privately to try and
resolve any conflicts.

"The last thing I would want to do is punish a child because of what a
parent did," he said. "Somebody might accuse infringement on personal
rights ... but if you have a child and they participate in Little League,
you have to sign a form that says he can participate. ... If they go on a
field trip in school, you have to sign consent. That's part of life and the
reason for the parental consent form is because we want the parents involved."

Lusk named several positive aspects to the drug testing policy, such as
preventing health problems and ensuring that students are at their best
when in school. The No. 1 reason, he said, was to help deter kids from peer
pressure.

"It's a reason to say no. If they have the threat of a drug test, on
Saturday night if they're in a group and someone tries to pressure them to
use it, this is a reason for them to say no," he said. "I think we're
helping the parents too if we alert them to something they weren't aware of."

The tests will be confidential and kept private, Lusk said. During testing,
students will be taken to a segregated area on the school's campus. Faculty
and staff also will be tested. Should a faculty member test positive, he or
she could be fired, Lusk said.

For students who test positive a second or third time, the terms of the
punishment increase. Lusk said a student wouldn't be ordered to leave
school for testing positive.

Lockney ISD is not the first South Plains school to implement such a
policy. School officials in Post and Sundown have said their policies are
effective and supported in their communities.

In Tulia a former student sued the school district, claiming the testing
violated his rights. That case is still pending in Amarillo's federal court.

"Every school has insurance if that happens," Lusk said. "Obviously we
don't want that."

But for Tannahill, he has only until Tuesday to change his mind about
signing the consent form.

"Every person has got a right to their own opinion, and I do not think they
can enforce this," Tannahill said. "It's just a principle thing to me. ...
I cannot let the school say, 'I know how to raise your child better than
you.' They do not have that right."