PANGBURN SCHOOLS TO BEGIN DRUG TESTING

The Pangburn School District board voted in their May meeting to
begin drug testing in grades seven through 12.

Students who are found to be using drugs will not be allowed to
participate in extra curricular activities. Superintendent Rick Wood
said Friday the policy will begin with the 2006-2007 school year this fall.

"We don't think we have a problem with drugs, but in White County
it's growing, so we thought we'd be proactive," Wood said.

Riverview School District has an almost identical policy, Wood said.

"We pulled out the best parts of other district's policies and wrote
a rough draft," Wood said.

The proposed policy was revised by the principals, run by the staff,
revised again, then presented to the school board in April, allowing
a month of consideration and more revision before the vote.

Surveys were sent to parents and teachers as a part of the research,
with up to 90 percent of those surveyed approving of the new policy.

Expectations are that the policy will eventually be applicable to all
students, whether they are involved in extra-curricular activities or not.

"It's going to work itself into the student body as a whole," Wood
said. "We hope to screen every student at some point during the year.
There will be some that will be screened more than once."

A third-party private business will do the actual drug tests, with 15
students pulled out of the classroom at random every two weeks. Bids
will be let this summer, with a minimum of three bids required by law.

"After a positive test, students will still be allowed to come to
school," Wood said. "They can appeal the results of the test."

A second test will be done in three weeks, and if that test is
negative, the student will be reinstated to participate in clubs and
activities. If the second test is also positive, actions will be
taken by the school.

"There's going to have to be some type of intervention," Wood said.
"We would hope the parents would contact one of the agencies that
deal with this."

Wood said some hospitals have drug programs that the students could use.

The new policy is hoped to give students something to use against
peer pressure.

"We hope this gives them a built-in check to be able to say, 'My
school has a drug-testing program,'" Wood said.

Students have five months to get clean, if they are currently using
drugs, before the new policy starts. Bus drivers are checked every
three months for drugs and alcohol. Over 30 different drugs will be
searched for in the student's urine, including marijuana, meth and
some prescription drugs.

At the beginning of each school year, students who are under 18 will
be asked to bring a signed consent form from their parents. Those who
are over 18 will be able to sign for themselves.

Students whose parents do not sign the waiver will be considered to
have received a positive drug test already and will not be allowed to
participate in extra-curricular activities.

"That would probably become a part of litigation," Wood said. "They
would have to figure out how to prove they did not have drugs in
their system. I don't know any other way than a test. I don't know
that you can demand anyone take a test unless you have overwhelming evidence."