FLEMING COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD ADDRESSES POLICY CHANGES

FLEMINGSBURG -- Fleming County School Board met Wednesday evening to
discuss changes in board policies, as well as policy updates from the
Kentucky School Board Association.

Among those changes were such issues as Sunday play and practice for sports
teams, fund-raising and new employee drug testing.

Though the current policy allowed Sunday play and practice, the board moved
to prohibit such play except for high school teams during the hours of 1
and 5 p.m. They also retained the ability to rent their facilities on
Sundays to other schools or organizations.

Private school students can participate in extracurricular activities
through grades K-6, as long as they meet the board's policy on
participation. Students must abide by Fleming County's rules and
regulations, and their school must pay additional costs for insurance.

The board also approved the deletion of one sentence from the current
policy regarding fund-raising, as well as prohibited door to door sales
except for the senior's magazine. The current policy allowed only one
fund-raiser per year per organization.

Superintendent Kelley Crain said the policy was not accurate since teams
who travel, like the recent FCCLA trip, often use several fund-raisers to
raise money for their trip. Every fund-raiser will still appear before the
board as required by law for their approval.

Crain approached the board with a suggestion that new employees be required
to undergo drug testing before signing a contract with the school board.
Coming on the heels of the board's approval for random student drug testing
for students who participate in extracurricular activities, one board
member noted that employees should not be exempt from something students
must submit to.

While there was some discussion regarding legal issues of the suggestion,
Crain said she had received information from other school districts who
have the same policy, and that the policy seemed to hold up in court.

All amendments to the board's policy were approved in the first reading.

The board also accepted a bid from Premier, the agency which will conduct
the random drug tests of the students involved in extracurricular
activities or enjoying such privileges as driving to school. Crain said she
had received several comments the testing should be school-wide, but there
could be legal issues stemming from such a move. However, Crain said the
current policy would like affect 80 percent of the student body.

Premier was selected out of two bids because of the two physicians on staff
who could check with parents and pharmacies whenever the question of
prescription medication arose. If a student tests positive for drugs, but
is taking a prescription, the results will come back to the school as
negative, thus protecting the student's privacy.