LET COMMON SENSE AND DECENCY PREVAIL

The Register-Herald recently reported that an administrative law judge
reinstated a Logan County Board of Education employee to his job
after he was fired for failing a random drug test. All across the
state, various county boards of education suspend and expel students
for the very same offense. It seems state employees have a greater
right to employment than children do to an education.

Certainly, no one would advocate we not expel drug offenders from
school, but it is ironic we can remove misbehaving children from the
system easier than we can pot-smoking employees. All state employees
deserve due process and job security, but protecting the rights of
proven marijuana smokers who serve our pupils is beyond the pale.

When gubernatorial candidate Rob Capehart talks about meeting the
needs of children first in our education system, this is a clear
example of the type of injustice that must be corrected and changed. I
continue to urge all concerned citizens to support Mr. Capehart as he
works to not only improve our state's educational system, but to
improve every aspect of state government.

It is beyond time to let common sense and decency prevail in West
Virginia.

Ronald Bee Cantley II

Cool Ridge