RANDOM STUDENT DRUG TESTING HAILED

ROSMAN -- Transylvania County Schools tested 266 students during its first
year of random drug testing for athletes and other students involved in
extracurricular activities. Five returned positive for marijuana use.

The school system released the findings during a School Board meeting
Monday night at Rosman High School.

School Board members and educators hailed the new program as a success,
saying it offered students another reason to say no and another way to
avoid peer pressure.

"You have five who tested positive," said John Tinsley, the director of
Athletics and Safe Schools. "But how many did it keep away from drugs?"

Starting last fall, the school system randomly tested students at Rosman
and Brevard High schools. It conducted 12 separate screenings, randomly
selecting 266 students from a pool of 2,004.

Six screenings were held at each school throughout the year. Brevard High
had 163 of its 1,195 students tested, while 103 of 809 Rosman High students
took the test.

After the first round of tests, the results most often returned clean.
Three Brevard High students tested positive for marijuana on the first
round, while one Rosman High student tested positive for the same substance
during that school's first round.

The rest of the tests at Brevard High returned negative. One other student
tested positive for marijuana use at Rosman High, on the final round of tests.

Penalties after positive tests affect only extracurricular activities.
Students remain in school, and face no suspension from class. But in order
to continue their sport or activity, the students must attend counseling
and pass another test.

When the School Board first considered random drug tests, the topic proved
hot in Transylvania County. School Board members postponed one vote on the
measure, after parents questioned the fairness and effectiveness of
mandatory drug testing.

The school system ultimately became the first in North Carolina to
implement mandatory drug testing in all its high schools.

Educators said the first year went smoothly, with few complaints from
parents and students.

"To be honest, it went much more smoothly than I thought it would," Tinsley
told the School Board. "They understood the principles of the whole thing."

Superintendent Sonna Lyda said other counties have approached the school
system for help in implementing similar programs.

The tests cost $6,046. The school system covered most of the cost, about
$5,800, with a grant.

School Board Chairwoman Teresa McCall said it was worth every penny.

"Folks are really glad we've taken this step to try to do something...to
give students another opportunity to say no," McCall said.