LEBANON CONSIDERS SCHOOL DRUG TESTING

LEBANON - School board members said Monday they want more information on
costs before they decide whether the Lebanon Community School District
should begin student drug testing.

The discussion took place during second reading of two policies, one that
would require drug tests for all students before allowing them to join a
sports team, and another that would require a test before participating in
any district-sponsored club or organization.

Board members said they leaned instead toward random testing, and asked
district officials to look into how much such tests cost.

Assistant Superintendent Steve Williams said after the meeting the district
will likely look at a range of costs, including whether the tests are for
one drug or many. Reports are expected at the board's Aug. 16 meeting.

Superintendent Jim Robinson said more than half the student population at
Lebanon High School, which is about 1,300, is involved in at least one
extracurricular activity.

Margaret Peterson of the Oregon School Board Association said OSBA sent out
the sample drug policies after a 2002 Supreme Court decision expanded school
testing rights to include extracurricular activities. As far as she knows,
she said, very few districts in the state have adopted them.

"The question is, is this an effective tool for dealing with a serious
problem?" asked Tom McHill, Lebanon's board chairman. "Are we proposing to
take this step based on the information we have now, and make that kind of
commitment?"

Board member William Barish, a family physician, said he was concerned a
pre-sports test wouldn't be an effective deterrent.

"To me, that's an idiot test. If you are dumb enough to take drugs right
before a drug test ... " he said, trailing off and shaking his head.

Sherrie Sprenger said she agrees with the idea of drug tests and would
support not only pre-tests but random followups. However, she said, that
might be more than the district can afford, so she proposed pulling the
policies until cost research is done.