WALTON-VERONA MAY TEST FOR DRUGS

Walton-Verona High School could begin testing student athletes for drugs
immediately if the district's school board approves a drug-testing policy
later this month. District school officials discussed a proposed
drug-testing policy Tuesday night with about 100 parents who were at the
school for an open house.

School officials haven't received major objections from parents or
students, though parents did want to know the details about who would be
tested and when.

The school system plans to test athletes in grades 9-12 once they make a
team and then randomly afterward, said Superintendent Bill Boyle. The
district believes a drug-testing policy will give students another reason
not to use drugs.

"It gives them another tool in their defense against peer pressure," Boyle
said.

The testing will look for drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine. The
district is starting with student athletes, but could expand the testing to
students participating in other extra-curricular activities. All the
school's clubs have drug-free pledges for students, Boyle said.

School officials say they wanted to enact a drug-testing policy because
student surveys indicate drug use hasn't declined in recent years.

"Students are using drugs after school, on weekends and in cars," Boyle
said. "Now they can say 'I can't' because they get drug tested at school."

The proposed policy, to be discussed by the school board Oct. 21, would
affect about 280 students, or about half the student body, Boyle said.

If the school board approves the drug-testing policy, it would be the
latest in Northern Kentucky to do so. The U.S. Supreme Court two years ago
approved random drug tests for students who join competitive after-school
activities or athletic teams, though some Northern Kentucky districts have
tested athletes since the mid-1990s.