STUDENT DRUG TEST VOTE ON HOLD

Drug testing is on hold.

San Marcos CISD Trustees on Monday tabled a vote to initiate a drug testing
program for the 2004-2005 school year.

A lack of details included in the "sample" proposal combined with the
absence of Trustees Lupe Costilla and Mark Cortez prompted the board to
move the vote to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22 at the DeZavala Elementary
School library.

"I'd feel more confident seeing the final policy before taking a vote,"
Trustee Judy Allen said.

The proposal was written up by Drug Testing Committee Chair and SMCISD
Coach Steve Van Nest along with other committee members. Several of the
factors, such as how consistently punishment measures would be treated
among different extracurricular activities, were not included in the proposal.

The SMCISD Athletic Department currently has a four-strike policy in
effect, but according to Van Nest, the decision regarding punishment could
be decided at a later date after the board voted in favor of or against the
current policy.

Van Nest said he plans to have a complete report ready for Thursday's
special meeting, in order for an all-present board to have a better idea of
exactly what the proposal states.

Trustee Peter Baen said that there was simply not enough information to
vote on Monday night.

"There are questions with the inconstancies that need to get tightened up
before we can get a vote," Baen said. "There is a lot of work to be done
before Thursday."

Allen said that she would also prefer to have consistencies within each
organization with regards to punishment measures, whether that is within
the drug testing policy or drawn up as another proposal.

"If I'm going to vote, I want to know what the consequences are," Allen
said. "It's not fair for one group to have four strikes and another group
to only have one strike."

Van Nest's sample policy also stated that students would be forced to test
before entering into any organization, though strike-out symbols were included.

Board President Barrie Breed said that she supported the proposal after
talking to students over several weeks.

"If there were five or 10 kids who chose not to do drugs because of this
test, then I think it would be great," Breed said.