GARRETT SCHOOLS TO BEGIN RANDOM DRUG TESTING

GARRETT -- Garrett-Keyser-Butler schools will start random drug,
alcohol and tobacco tests of students next year, the school board
decided Monday.

The board voted unanimously to approve the one-year pilot program for
grades seven to 12, as long as financing can be secured. The program,
estimated to cost $5,000, will be reviewed next spring and will be
financed by grants or donations.

If money is not available in time to implement the program next fall,
it will begin in the first athletic season after money comes through,
Superintendent Alan Middleton said.

The testing will involve students who participate in athletics or
other extracurricular activities, such as band or choir -- about 85
percent of the student body, Middleton said -- as well as students who
drive to school.

Guardians of students younger than 18 who don't fall under those
categories may request their students be included in the testing pool,
and students 18 or older may volunteer to be included, according to
the policy.

That mirrors Southwest Allen County Schools' random drug testing
program took effect in the 2005-06 school year.

Other schools, such as West Noble High School, test only
athletes.

Garrett will test two or three middle school students per week and
five to 10 high school students selected by a computerized random
selection, on random days of the week.

If a student tests positive, his or her parents or guardians will be
contacted for a meeting and referral to counseling services. Students
may appeal if they have a valid prescription for a substance for which
they've tested positive, the policy said.

First-time offenders will have a 45-day social and extracurricular
suspension, including practices and rehearsals, as well as a 45-day
driving suspension. However, those suspensions might be reduced to 10
days if the student participates in a drug education and counseling
program, according to the new policy.

A second offense would result in a 90-day suspension of social and
extracurricular participation and driving privileges, while a third
would result in permanent suspension.

Also Monday, the board announced that Bandit, a Labrador retriever K9
unit, will patrol Garrett-Keyser-Butler and DeKalb Eastern schools
next fall. A school resource officer already splits his time between
those districts. DeKalb Central schools has its own resource officer
and will have its own dog.

Cost to the district would be no more than a few hundred dollars, if
that, for initial veterinarian bills and about $300 per year for dog
food, Middleton said.