BOARD OKAYS DRUG TESTING FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS

Beginning this August, every Azle ISD student participating in an
extracurricular activity will get a drug test. The policy, adopted
by the school board Tuesday night, applies to an estimated 2,000
students in grades 7-12.

A few months ago, AISD formed a task force to address the rising
number of drug-related incidents in schools. One of its first
recommendations was a new drug-testing policy.

Currently, all students participating in extracurricular activities
are subject to random drug testing. The new policy makes a test
mandatory -- and continues the policy of random testing whenever
possible as well.

"The drug task force believes that testing all the designated
students once and then having them eligible to be tested again,
based on a random selection process, would make an impact on the
drug problems on the campuses," said Skip McCambridge, director of
student services.

Board member Shannon Hart said mandatory testing will serve as a
deterrent for students who are contemplating taking drugs. No one
likes to lose eligibility to participate in a sport or activity he
or she loves.

"It gives them the opportunity to say 'I'm not going to do that,'" he said.

As McCambridge said Tuesday, "it's going to keep the good kids good."

"Letting the student know that they are going to be tested will give
them the excuse they need to say 'no,'" he said.

Board member Erik Loeffelholz said he wanted a change in the initial
policy that said mandatory drug testing would be done at the first
of the year. He said it's important not to give students who want to
take drugs a chance to work around the system. He said the policy
shouldn't include a time frame.

Board member Sam Merck said drug testing done at the first of the
year would still be an effective tool. Drugs like marijuana "stay in
the system" for several months, he said.

"By doing it at the beginning of the year, there's a good chance we
can keep them clean for several months," Merck said.

The board voted 7-0 to adopt the policy with no time frame for
testing mentioned.

The school district will pay Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital
Azle $32,000 to conduct the testing -- about $18 a student.

McCambridge said although the logistics involving in testing 2,000
students seems challenging, the hospital says it can handle the workload.

"We would like to have most of them tested by the December break," he said.

McCambridge is not yet sure where the testing will take place. In
the past is has been done at the AHS field house. But that didn't
involve 2,000 students -- two thirds of the total student population
in grades 7-12.

McCambridge said the next step is to inform parents and students of
the change. Students not participating in extracurricular activities
will be eligible for testing, too, if their parent or guardian
decides to opt in.

"Our drug testing policy has always allowed parents to register
their child to participate in the drug testing program even if they
are not," he said. "We are going to make a strong push next fall to
have as many students registered as possible."

A student who tests positive for drug use must receive a second test
from a drug testing laboratory to confirm the initial finding. A
meeting involving a parent or guardian is also required.

A positive test also means that a second, random test will assuredly
take place. Refusal to allow this test will affect a student's
eligibility to participate in the activity.

Ray Ivey, director of administration for AISD, said drug testing is
designed to be "helpful, not punitive" -- at least at the outset.

McCambridge said testing students early on -- at the 7th grade level
- -- also might help set a pattern for drug abstinence.