HARTSELLE DRUG POLICY MAY COVER MOST STUDENTS

HARTSELLE -- If the school board adopts the policy a committee is
contemplating, the majority of the secondary students here will be subject
to random drug testing.

The group, at the request of high school teacher Judy Praytor, agreed that
it would recommend testing all students in extracurricular activities.

Present and proposed drug-testing policies in other area school systems
test only students who participate in competitive extracurricular activities.

If Hartselle does not limit its policy to students who compete, the names
of about 70 percent of the high school students will be in the pool to be
tested, according to high school Principal Jerry Reeves.

"We surveyed our students about five years ago, and 70 percent of them were
involved with some kind of activity," Reeves said.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision June 27, expanded its 1995 ruling
that included student-athletes only.

The court, said, in part: "Students who participate in competitive
extracurricular activities voluntarily subject themselves to many of the
same intrusions of their privacy as do athletes."

Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the opinion, said that student privacy
is limited in a public school environment because school systems are
responsible for "maintaining discipline, health and safety."

Attorney Dwight Jett is a school board member who served on the committee
that recommended the drug-testing policy for the Decatur school system.
"The court's decision is broad, but we decided to limit our testing to
students who participate in competitive activities," he said.

Decatur's policy, which states specifically who could be tested, has had
one reading. Jett said it should be in place by the time the 2002-2003
academic year starts.

Hartselle's committee has also expressed a desire to have its policy in
place for the upcoming school year. The group will meet July 29 to discuss
the penalties for a positive test.