TOUGHER DRUG POLICY SENT TO SCHOOL BOARD

The Blaine County School Board during its Tuesday meeting got its first
official look at a new drug policy that calls for tougher penalties for
first-time offenders but more opportunities to obtain help and counseling.

Superintendent Jim Lewis said the proposed policy sent to the board is
built on the premise of keeping the schools drug and alcohol free by using
stronger penalties for violations and providing counseling alternatives.

"We felt there was a need for a stronger policy, but we also wanted to get
kids some help," said Lewis.

First-time offenders for possession and use of drugs and alcohol on school
grounds and at school-sponsored activities will now be given a 30-day
school suspension which can be reduced to five days with treatment,
parental involvement in counseling and community service.

The current policy calls for a mandatory five-day school suspension, with
no provisions for treatment.

"You're still looking at five days out of school for the first offense, but
we're asking for more responsibility from the student and parents to have
those five days," said Dr. Lewis.

The second offense is a one-year school suspension, but under the new
policy the expulsion can be reduced to one trimester with the required
education, parental involvement and treatment. The current policy calls for
a one-year suspension with no strings.

The third use-and-possession offense stays the same, a mandatory one-year
suspension, and that's the same penalty for the first offense for
manufacture and sale of drugs.

A key provision of the new policy is a "reasonable suspicion" clause that
comes directly from action by the Idaho Legislature earlier this year.

If a teacher, for example, suspects a student is under the influence, the
teacher can document the student's behavior on a checklist and send a
referral form to school administrators-who will start established
procedures to deal with the problem.

Blaine County teachers will receive training in drug identification
procedures before the start of the 2002-03 school year, Lewis said.

"We are trying not to accuse a kid without probable cause," he said.

The proposed "Behavior and Discipline" policy applying to the use of
alcohol, tobacco and other controlled substances in Blaine County schools
was crafted through the work of a 35-person community committee that has
been meeting since last November.

Lewis said the "most compelling" testimony in favor of strengthening the
school district's drug and alcohol policies came from students themselves
during a two-hour meeting in Hailey in February.

"Our committee listened to 24 students from the district's four secondary
schools. They told us they would like to have a stronger policy," Lewis said.

Random drug testing "has not been proposed and is not on the agenda," Lewis
said, despite the June 27 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld drug
testing for students in extracurricular activities.

If the school board approves the new district-wide drug policy at its
August meeting, it will be effective for the 2002-03 year, Lewis said.

Still unresolved are any changes to the Code of Conduct for athletes.

"We felt we had to work on our base policy before we did anything in the
activities area," Lewis said.

"We still have two subcommittees working on activities-looking at the Code
of Conduct-and secondly at our curriculum-what we need to do to beef up our
curriculum and make sure kids get a good drug education."

The Code of Conduct came under public scrutiny last fall when an off-campus
party resulted in 20 Wood River High student athletes being suspended from
four different school activities because of violations of the Code of
Conduct and Health.