STUDENT DRUG TESTING DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH

Mitchell County's School Board is working on a new drug testing policy
for Mitchell High School. They will have a hearing for the public to
comment. We encourage all parents of older children to attend. This is
a policy that will directly affect your children.

In our opinion, the policy does not go far enough, and we are not sure
that it can legally. Here are our changes:

All students at the high school need to be candidates for random
testing.

If everyone has the possibility of being tested, no one will know
where and when it is going to happen. The randomness acts as a
deterrent. Also, students feeling left out, those not involved in
extra curricular activities or driving to school, may be the ones
turning to drug use.

The middle schools need to be included in the testing
program.

Out of 17 incidents of possession in 2007 - 08 cited by school
administrators to the board, less than half were at the high school.
The rest were in the middle schools.

The testing needs to include the prescription drugs identified as
problems in the county.

The two drugs that have been identified as being the biggest problems
in overdoses, Methodone and Fentanyl, may not be covered by the tests.
From previous stories we have done, these two drugs are the biggest
threat for overdose.

Counseling services must be offered for those testing
positive.

The testing should not just be for punishment. The goal is to help
students get off drugs, and stay off. To do that, these students need
to be given help in fighting whatever addiction or problem is causing
the drug use.

This goes for the county, too. We need better counseling for the
people battling addiction.

More money is going to be necessary.

We are going to have to find the money for this program. If we, as a
county, are as serious about fighting drugs, this is the place to start.