SPARTA HIGH SCHOOL RANDOM DRUG TESTING POLICY A "GO" IN THE NEW YEAR

Sparta - Four months after the intended September start date, the
Sparta High School random drug testing program finally got the green
light.

School officials announced at the Board of Education meeting Monday,
Dec. 17, preparations are underway to begin random testing sometime
after the new year. With board of education approval in the spring,
the program was to be implemented by the start of school. However, the
state Department of Education said last summer that it would
reevaluate sample collection and testing procedures with an eye toward
consistent policies. Sparta opted to put the program on hold until it
could determine if additional costs would be incurred.

The new regulations are now in place. A controversial proposal to
require a state-approved laboratory professional to be present at each
school to do the testing was dropped due to cost. Each school's health
professional can do the testing as long as he or she has taken a
certification course at a cost of between $450 and $500.

There was also talk of requiring schools to use state labs to send the
"non-negative" results for further testing. Now the state says less
expensive out-of-state labs can be used, so long as they are approved
facilities.

The cost for random testing should not be much more than the original
estimate of between $4,000 and $6,000 per year.

Random drug testing was first proposed by former High School Principal
Rich Lio, who researched other programs around the state. From the
onset, the program was not intended to be a "gotcha" for students, but
to provide them with a means and a reason to "say no to drugs and
alcohol." This month, the board's Curriculum Committee recommended the
program move forward and Superintendent Dr. Thomas Morton has
authorized Acting Principal James Bevere to begin preparations.

Sparta's program will require all students in extra-curricular
activities, sports and those who drive to and from school to be
assigned a number and become part of a testing pool. When testing is
conducted, a number will be selected randomly by computer and that
student will be contacted to come in for testing. The student will
then provide a urine sample in a chemically prepared cup. If a child
receives a "negative" results, parents are notified their child was
tested and the results were good. If a child receives a "non-negative"
results, the state requires the sample be sent to an outside lab for
further testing. Parents will be informed of this and will be provided
with the test findings. Officials stress that the student's anonymity
will be protected throughout the process.

Students who test "non-negative" will be penalized by a loss of
participation in their sport, extra-curricular activity, or right to
park their car on campus for a length of time commensurate with their
number of offenses.