SCHOOLS HOPE DRUG TESTING WILL CURB USE

The Fort Benton School District is one of the latest schools
statewide looking to update its policy on drugs and alcohol use by
students participating in extracurricular activities.

Most high schools around the state have policies issuing some sort of
punishment for students involved in athletics or extracurricular
activities who choose to consume alcohol or drugs, or use tobacco.
The degree of punishment depends on the district.

Joe Brott, director of policy services for the Montana School Boards
Association, said he has been approached in recent years by districts
looking to tighten their policies -- and in some cases institute
mandatory drug testing -- because they are experiencing an increase
in use of drugs and alcohol among students.

"I don't know how many districts are going forward with it," Brott
said.

Fort Benton Superintendent Scott Chauvet said his district isn't
looking at drug testing, but rather wants to add language to its
policy to include a lesser punishment for students who self-report
illegal behavior.

"Kids didn't have the option to come in and self-report the problem,"
he said.

A first violation of the policy currently results in a suspension for
the rest of the season and enrollment in a 10-hour substance abuse
course, regardless of whether students turn themselves in. The
district would like to change the language for students who
self-report violations to a suspension of three event weeks of
extra-curricular activities and enrollment in substance abuse training.

Chauvet said the issue has long been looked at by Fort Benton school
trustees, but the trustees were propelled into action when
allegations surfaced over Christmas break that a number of student
athletes had been drinking.

"These issues in these little towns blow up," Chauvet
said.

He said that in the Christmas break case, his hands were somewhat
tied because no citations for minors in possession of alcohol were
issued, so he had to depend on students to turn themselves in as a
way to resolve the issue. Some did; some didn't.

"I'd rather get something rather than nothing at all," he said. "I
don't think we have an epidemic type of thing. Times change and you
have to be able to change with them."

In Glasgow this fall, trustees approved requiring all students
participating in extracurricular activities -- everything from
football to speech and debate -- to take scheduled drug tests and
submit to random drug tests.

The district has studied the issue for the past three years. At the
same time it became aware through anonymous surveys and information
from law enforcement of an increase in drug and alcohol use by students.

"I'm not naive enough to think we'll never have a drug problem,"
Superintendent Glenn Hageman said.

The plan is to start testing students in activities this spring and
institute random drug testing in the fall. Trustees in the district
approved a lengthy policy that details the specifics of conducting
the testing.

Willie Thibault, vice principal and activities director for Glasgow
High School, said surveys were handed out to parents at fall
parent-athlete meetings. Results showed 90 percent of parents who
responded were in favor of allowing drug testing on their student
athletes.

"The idea is that it is a deterrent -- not to catch anybody,"
Thibault said. "We want to help reinforce our students into making
good choices."

Scott King, activities director for the Malta School District, said
his school and Plentywood are the only two schools in their
six-school conference not to do drug testing.

King said that after meeting with parents this fall and the school
board, addressing the drug and alcohol policy became the top priority
of many changes the community wants to see to help prevent the use of
drugs and alcohol by students..

"I think our parents are looking for additional help, with the
schools providing assistance," he said. "We have gotten very good
parental support."

King said the hope is to have a new drug and alcohol policy in place
for Malta High School this fall.

Brott said it's not a state requirement that school districts have a
drug and alcohol policy, but most do. He said the Montana School
Boards Association assists districts that are looking to change or
modify their policies by providing them with model language. The
level of discipline is up to individual school districts.

In Glasgow, the policy calls for a two-week suspension of a student
who tests positive on the drug screening.

In Fort Benton, students who don't self-report a violation but and
are instead caught with drugs and alcohol could be suspended for the
rest of the sports season.

"More and more school districts are starting to get involved in (drug
testing) because more and more students are abusing alcohol and
drugs," Brott said.

But instituting such heavy-handed policies requires a lot of input,
he said.

"If districts go about it in the right fashion, we don't see a real
fight against it," he said.