SCHOOLS READYING FOR DRUG TESTING

Mike Wilder Times-News The Alamance-Burlington Board of Education's
decision to require random drug testing for high school students who take
part in extracurricular activities will go into effect with the start of
the 2005-06 school year. Between now and then, the school system will be
letting students and parents

know what they will have to do to comply with the new rule. The board voted
Monday night to require the tests for students who take part in activities
including sports, music and clubs organized either by schools or students.

About 70 percent of high school students are involved in extracurricular
activities, according to information provided by the school system.

Parents of students who don't take part in activities can also choose to
have their children included in the pool of students who may be chosen for
drug tests.

Wayne Beam, the system's director of school administration, said the new
policy will be part of the code of conduct that parents of all students are
asked to read and sign at the beginning of each school year. PRINCIPALS
WILL BE encouraged to spread information about the new policy in many ways,
he said.

The system hasn't yet developed consent forms relating to the drug tests.
"We wanted to wait until (the policy) got approval from the board," he
said. Beam said students involved in fall sports, along with their parents,
will get information about the policy and will be asked to sign the forms
when practices begin this summer.

That's consistent with the practice of students and parents being informed
of various rules relating to athletics before the start of each season, he
said.

Students involved in more than one activity will only have to go through
the consent process once.

Under the policy, students will be suspended for three months for the first
offense.

Students who participate in drug treatment and then have a negative drug
test result are allowed to be reinstated after the suspension. Once
reinstated, those students will be required to submit to unannounced drug
testing for the next year.

The second offense will mean suspension for a year, and the third offense
will ban the student for the rest of high school. The school system plans
to spend $25,000 a year to implement the drug tests. That amount will
determine how many students are chosen at random to be tested each school year.

The system has asked for the money for drug tests from the county
government as part of its funding request for the 2005-06 year. The County
is still working on its budget for 2005-06. Superintendent Jim Merrill
doesn't think the drug tests will be jeopardized if the county doesn't
provide the money.

"Given the board's interest in the policy, it will be funded somehow," he
said. Relatively speaking, he said, "that's a little bit of money for a
large effect."

Farrell Hanzaker, an assistant superintendent with the school system, said
the board's options for paying for the tests without additional funds from
the county would include using part of the fund balance or redirecting
money from another program.

Merrill said he has thought about asking the sheriff 's department for
money confiscated during drug stings to pay for the tests. News of the
school board's decision traveled fast to reach companies that perform drug
tests.

"I've had three of four phone calls today from drug (testing) companies
that want to give us a bid," Beam said.

SafetyNet, based in Asheboro, does the drug testing for school system
employees who are currently tested, Beam said.

Any employee who drives a system-owned vehicle is subject to random drug
testing.