SCHOOLS EXPAND DRUG SCREENINGS

All New Employees, Regardless Of Position, Will Be Tested

SARASOTA COUNTY -- Starting today, anyone who applies for a job with
the county school district, whether they are a candidate for
superintendent or custodian, must pass a drug test before being hired.

Until now, only employees who have direct contact with students --
teachers, aides, bus drivers -- were tested as a condition of employment.

School Board members approved the policy change Tuesday night in a
unanimous vote.

"We as a district need to do everything we possibly can to ensure
that our children are safe," said School Board Chairwoman Carol Todd.

The change was not precipitated by any incident involving a district
employee under the influence of drugs, school officials said.

It's the district's latest effort to add another layer of security
for students.

"I have a concern about being able to look parents in the eye and say
we have the right kind of people near your children," said Human
Resources director Scott Lempe.

Pre-employment drug testing is already a common practice in a number
of industries, especially ones involving heavy machinery or requiring
a specialized driver's license.

It is growing more common among school systems, said Wayne Blanton,
executive director of the Florida School Boards Association.

Nearby Lee and Charlotte County school districts already require a
drug screening for all employees as part of the application process.

In Manatee County, only bus drivers, custodians, maintenance workers
and employees who work with heavy machinery are subject to
pre-employment drug tests.

In Sarasota County, school district employees are fingerprinted and
checked against a state and federal criminal database to ensure they
have no felonies on their record. Now they'll have to pass a drug
test too, in the form of a blood test.

The $26.50 cost for the blood test will be picked up by the
employee.

The policy change only affects new hires, and does not institute
random drug testing of employees.

Unions officials support the change.

"I don't have a problem with them checking every new hire before they
hire them," said Pat Gardner, president of Sarasota
Classified/Teachers Association.

"I don't have a problem with that at all."

Drug testing policies vary widely among school districts, said Jody
Shelton, executive director of the American Association of School
Personnel Administrators.

But she said all districts share one thing in common:

"We're all looking for ways to make schools safer for everyone in
those schools," Shelton said.

In September, Florida school districts began checking the criminal
backgrounds of all contractors who do business on school property in
response to a mandate from the legislature.