SCHOOLS MIGHT SEEK ALERTS ON TEACHERS

Heroin Charge Against CMS Teacher Puts Issue on N.C. Board's Agenda

The N.C. Board of Education will discuss today whether the state
should require police to alert school systems when teachers or other
employees are arrested, board Chairman Howard Lee said Tuesday.

This follows the Monday arrest of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools art
teacher, George Terry McDonald Jr., who was charged with having
heroin and drug paraphernalia at Bruns Avenue Elementary School.
After Monday's incident, CMS investigators learned that McDonald,
while on the district's payroll, had been charged in 2005 with
possession of drug paraphernalia in Buncombe County.

McDonald, who authorities say was caught in the classroom Monday with
his arm strapped and heroin in two small balloons, spent the night in
Mecklenburg jail, but was released on $16,000 secured bond Tuesday,
just before 6 p.m. He will be arraigned today.

Although CMS and other school districts require employees to report
any criminal charge, conviction or guilty or no-contest pleas, the
Carolinas do not require police to notify schools when employees have
been arrested.

"I certainly think there's no question districts need to be notified
when teachers have conflict with the law," Lee said. "I think a law
mandating that deserves serious consideration."

CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman said Monday that he is concerned with
how to detect criminal charges if employees fail to report them.
Gorman was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

"This definitely would be an idea that we would be supportive of,"
said CMS spokeswoman Nora Carr. "It would be a very important and useful tool."

Several states require notification from law enforcement, depending
on the level of offense. In Florida, police must inform school
districts when employees are arrested on felony charges. In
California, police must alert districts immediately after a teacher's
arrest on sexual-offense charges.

In some other states, conviction of a school employee is required to
trigger mandatory notification.

During his 2005 arrest, McDonald would have been asked his
occupation, said Asheville police Sgt. Elizabeth Budd. McDonald,
however, is also a part-time musician, a former teaching colleague
told the Observer. Records of the 2005 arrest were unavailable Tuesday.

"We can't make people tell us where they work," said
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesman Robert Fey. "I don't want
people to get the impression that this would be a cure-all."

Lee, who said he was unaware of the state's lack of formal police
notification, promised to discuss the issue with his board this
morning. To pursue legislation, the board would need approval from
Gov. Mike Easley before it conferred with N.C. legislators.

CMS policy requires drug tests and background checks for incoming
employees -- plus random drug tests for employees, such as bus
drivers, mechanics and school law enforcement officials. But random
records checks on almost 17,000 CMS employees would cost too much,
said spokesperson Cindy Robbins.

Heroin on the Rise?

Charlotte-area drug-treatment experts say heroin is not the drug of
choice for most users, but a top Mecklenburg drug court official says
she is seeing an increase in heroin cases. Janeanne Tourtellott, an
administrator for the county's Drug Treatment Courts said 12 percent
of the court's active cases involve heroin. One county drug-treatment
professional said heroin ranks fourth on the abused In Mecklenburg
behind alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Nationally, the drug has
experienced a resurgence in some cities, particularly when combined
with Tylenol PM in a mixture known as "cheese." Cleve R. Wootson Jr.