LINTON STUDENTS FACE NEW DRUG-TESTING POLICY

In an ongoing campaign against drug and alcohol use, the
Linton-Stockton Board of School Trustees on Monday approved a new
drug-testing policy for its junior high and high school students.

"We spent quite some time looking at and checking into drug-testing
programs for our school," explained superintendent Ron Bush. "The
highlight of this is, this is a program that's a part of what we're
wanting to do here at school as far as the physical and mental aspect
of working with students and trying to help them recognize the danger
of being involved with drugs."

Bush hopes the new policy "will also help to undermine the peer
pressure that our students feel sometimes. By having a policy in place
that gives them an opportunity to tell their friends they don't want
to risk being checked (for drugs), it gives them an 'out' and that's a
positive.

"It also gives us a way to find out if students truly are having a
problem and try to direct them so they can be helped at a time when
they're most likely to be helped, while they're still young," he said.

Bush said the new policy includes two "scopes" or groups -- random
drug testing and individualized "reasonable suspicion" testing.

Random testing for drugs will be used for students involved in
athletics and/or any school-sponsored, extra-curricular activity;
students who drive to school and/or enroll in driver education; and
students who are under 18 and a parent or guardian elects to enroll
them in the program or who volunteers to be included.

Individualized, "reasonable suspicion" testing will be used for
students who exhibit indications of drug or alcohol use, such as mood
swings, aggressive or lethargic behavior, fighting, risk-taking
behavior, paranoia, bragging or talking to other students about drug
and/or alcohol use; psychosis, loss of interest in school and favorite
activities, drastic change in dress, declining grades, poor grooming,
rapid weight loss, truancy or excessive tardiness and/or absence,
isolation from friends and family, depression or withdrawal.

The new policy defines "reasonable suspicion" as relying on and
including but not limited to "observation of negative behaviors and
actions based upon the aforementioned indicators of a problem;
specific observation of inappropriate or unusual behavior; body odors
or speech; information received from staff members, parents, students,
school employees or detection devices/services; the past record of a
student in connection with the above listed factors; and/or an
accident involving a motor vehicle before, during or after school
hours, at school or at a school function."

The school administration will reserve the right to test a student, at
any time, based on "reasonable suspicion" of drug and/or alcohol use.
A refusal to submit to a drug/alcohol screening test by a student
under 'reasonable suspicion' will be considered the same as if one had
tested positive for drug/alcohol use."

The administration will document the indicators and provide a copy to
the student and parents.

The selection of students randomly tested and the actual testing will
be carried out by Indiana Testing, Inc., in compliance with all
federal statutes concerning random drug testing.

The consequences will be cumulative over the entire years of the
student's junior high and high school tenure, and are not solely
within one school year. After the student completes junior high, he or
she will enter high school, resetting the consequences to zero. They
then accumulate through high school.

Consequences for tobacco use are notification of parents and/or
guardian, and the student's coach or sponsor.

Consequences for alcohol/drug use include: Notification of parents of
the drug testing results. If positive, the administration will meet
with the student and parent to discuss the results and consequences.
If the student tests positive, he or she can't participate in any
school-related activity; athletics, extra-curricular activities,
driver education, after-school activity; or park on school grounds
until a re-test shows negative results.

A student testing positive will be periodically re-tested for the
remainder of the school year with the first re-test administered after
sufficient time for the illegal substance to leave the student's
system but no sooner than 10 days.

The parents will be provided with information about counseling and
drug eradication programs.

Any student testing positive will be subject to regulations governing
any sport or activity in which they participate or in any organization
to which they belong. He or she may be placed in the alternative to
out-of-school suspension program (SOS) or similar program approved by
the school corporation, for up to 10 days. The program is administered
by the Green County Probation Department and the Greene County Youth
Services Bureau. If placed in an SOS program, the student is
responsible for transportation and costs. Failure to enroll and attend
will result in suspension or expulsion from school. If a student is on
probation and tests positive, the Probation Department will be informed.

Consequences for the second occurrence include exclusion from
athletics, school clubs, after-school and extra-curricular activities,
and driver's education. He or she will not be allowed to drive to
school for one year from the date of the second positive test. After
that, the student must be re-tested and be negative before being
allowed to participate in those activities. The student must also be
placed in the SOS program for up to 10 school days and be responsible
for transportation and costs; and agree to a drug intervention
assessment interview or be placed in the SOS program for an extended
period.

Consequences for a third occurrence include exclusion from athletics,
school clubs and activities, extra-curricular activities, and driver's
education. The student will not be allowed to drive to school for the
rest of his or her high school tenure; must attended a recognized drug
awareness/rehab program and pay for it. If the student does not attend
the program, he or she will be placed in the SOS program until it is
completed. The student may also be expelled from school.

A student will be subject to re-test policy if there is notification
to a school official by a verified police report or court action; or
if the student, his or her parent or guardian admits a violation.

The school junior high and high school athletic teams and coaching
staff have their own training rules and requirements as well.
Coaches/sponsors have the necessary authority to enforce those rules.
Any student who violates a rule or requirement as a member of a team
or activity will also be subject to the consequences as defined in
those rules and regulations.

The school corporation will pay for the initial random drug tests. A
request or appeal for another test of a "positive" urine specimen is
the financial responsibility of the student or his/her parent or guardian.

School board members Eddy Dale, Frank Gennicks, Fred Spinks, Ralph
Witty and George Skeel approved the new policy 5-0.

The policy will be part of the student handbook, which was approved
Monday night, also 5-0, by the school board.

Bush noted that the agreement with Indiana Testing Inc. will be
brought before the board, probably in May.

Asked by Skeel if the school can work with White River Valley High
School at Switz City to perhaps share the cost of the testing, Bush
noted, "We'll look at ways we'll cut our costs, to fund this program.
The average cost is between $30 and $35 per test. It's not a cheap
program but if it helps one or two kids, it's cheap."