MARYVILLE R-II SCHOOL DISTRICT DRUG TESTING DEBATE POSTPONED

Random drug testing is under debate at Maryville High School. The
Maryville R-II Board of Education met Wednesday, Sept. 21 and
discussed the need and effectiveness of random drug testing within
the district.

The topic of random drug testing within the Maryville school district
has been stirring for nearly a year. The discussion started during
the October 2010 Board of Education meeting. The topic was tabled
until Larry Lithacum, Maryville R-II superintendent, took position in
February 2011. The Board then voted to postpone a decision
indefinitely. Lithacum re-presented it to the Board during last
week's meeting. The Board will not vote on random drug testing in
Maryville R-II Schools until Lithacum presents his recommendation.

He will make his recommendation for random drug testing to the Board
in February 2012 after examining other school districts' methods. The
Board will vote in late spring or early summer. Until then, he is
researching different processes and procedures for random drug
testing. He is gathering thoughts and opinions from patrons and
parents through surveys.

Maryville High School's current drug policy states that the "use,
sale, transfer, distribution, possession or being under the
influence" of any type of unauthorized drug or drug paraphernalia is
strictly prohibited on any school property or at any school-sponsored
event. The policy states that any student can be searched if they are
"reasonably suspected to be in violation of this policy."

An estimated 70 percent of schools in Missouri have a random drug
testing policy.

"Do I think we have a problem? No, no I don't," Lithacum said. "But I
also know that we want to be proactive on things. If there is a
problem, it is something we want to know about."

Though he does not think Maryville schools have an overwhelming drug
problem, Lithacum chooses not to ignore the possible presence of a
random drug testing policy.

"If we did nothing, we would be sticking our head in the sand,"
Lithacum said. "As a district we're trying to instill kids to make
good choices, be responsible for your own actions, empower them to
make good choices."

He fears that students will see random drug testing as just another
rule meant to "nail" them.

"I don't want the school philosophy at all to be 'Oh, we're trying to
nail kids, or catch kids doing drugs' because that's not it at all,"
Lithacum said. "We're wanting to help them be responsible, hold them
accountable."

If Maryville R-II schools ultimately decides to implement random drug
testing, their policy could look similar to Albany's: "The School
District shall conduct random drug and alcohol testing of students in
grades 6-12 as a condition of participation in inter-scholastic
athletics, competitive extra-curricular activities, and on-campus
parking. Eligible athletics and activities shall include those
activities regulated by the Missouri State High School Activities
Association, excluding all activities for which students receive an
academic grade for participation."

Albany R-III School District's random drug testing policy started two
years ago after increased drug activity. Bryan, Albany R-III
superintendent, said the district wanted to be proactive, so they
created the policy. They hired an outside company to perform the
random drug tests. That company can test for common drugs, such as
marijuana and prescription medications, as well as lesser-known drugs
such as K2 synthetic marijuana.

In short, students who park at the school and participate in sports
or extra-curricular activities are subjected to random drug testing.
Their names are stored in a database and a number of them are chosen
at random during consistent time intervals.

The line between which students would be eligible for random drug
testing in Maryville is currently unclear. Due to questions regarding
the current policy, Maryville R-II schools are evaluating their
current code of eligibility, Lithacum said. If approved, the random
drug testing policy would be incorporated into the updated code of
eligibility and implemented in the 2012-2013 school year.