DISTRICTS NEED TO ADOPT RANDOM DRUG SCREENING

Our view: Local school districts should consider random drug testing of
employees in the wake of a drug case against a former Bickel Elementary
principal.

The surprising resignation of Bickel Elementary School Principal Mary Lee
Roberts, due to a felony drug charge, demonstrates a need for serious
changes at local school districts. It's time the Twin Falls School District
and other districts considered random drug testing of all public school
employees.

Roberts resigned after Texas police found a pound of marijuana in a package
addressed to her Twin Falls County home. She was later arraigned on a state
drug possession charge.

The case shows once again how drug use can tragically ruin a promising
career. Roberts' talent and dedication helped her attain the position of
principal, where she gained the confidence and admiration of students,
fellow teachers and parents.

And that's what makes the case so disappointing. When a school leader is
arrested for drugs, it represents faulty judgment by an individual who has
the public's trust. To blame the problem on "the antiquated laws of
marijuana" as one ex-teacher described it, is pure malarkey. It sends a
lousy message to kids to blame crime on the law, rather than the
perpetrator.

The vast majority of educators and school workers are drug-free. But because
this case involves a top level administrator, it damages the public
perception of all teachers and administrators.

The burden now lies on the Twin Falls School District and its School Board
to adopt a policy of random drug testing for employees, and school patrons
should demand it. Teachers and union representatives should embrace the idea
rather than resist it. If it's necessary to drug test kids who participate
in the school chess club or pep squad, it's just as necessary to test school
employees. Local children and their parents will scoff at the hypocrisy of a
public institution that enforces "zero tolerance" for various kinds of
student misbehavior, while declining to trouble itself over the possibility
of felonious employees.

Random drug testing is already a standard procedure in both the private and
public sector, including law enforcement, the legal and medical professions,
the military, and even the media. (The Times-News is among the many
businesses in the Magic Valley that conduct random drug testing under the
Drug Free Workplaces program.)

Some people argue that random testing is demeaning and infringes upon
personal rights. But that's not the issue for a public employee. Parents
usually like to know through references or family friends that their
teen-age baby-sitter doesn't smoke pot. They'll appreciate having that same
knowledge when it comes to school officials and educators. Drug policies
should be written to address the concerns of taxpayers and parents -- not
the employees.

The Twin Falls district has already said it may revise its policies. Other
districts should do the same. And if there are legal obstacles preventing
districts from implementing random drug screens, the Idaho Legislature needs
to remove them. It may need to mandate random testing.

The Roberts case may be only one incident. But it demonstrates the
ineffectiveness of school districts' porous drug policies. Taxpayers,
parents and children deserve better.