DECATUR SCHOOL BOARD WAITING ON DRUG TEST RULING

The public had its say, so now the Decatur Board of Education is waiting on
final authority to give the go-ahead for student drug tests.

Superintendent Larry Walters said he will not make a recommendation on a
proposed student drug test when the Decatur Board of Education meets
Tuesday at the central office. The school board will have a work session at
3 p.m., followed by its regular meeting at 4.

Walters said he is waiting on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Tecumseh,
Okla., school board vs. Lindsay Earls and Daniel James before he recommends
the proposed tests. A school board cannot consider a proposal without a
superintendent's recommendation.

The nation's high court heard oral arguments in the Oklahoma case March 19,
but has not issued a ruling. It could be late July before a decision is
announced. Meanwhile, Walters is studying the proposals of a committee of
school administrators, faculty and citizens, including cost and a timetable
for implementation. He is also looking at ways to fund the plan.

The committee's proposal projected the test costs to be approximately
$20,000. The proposal did not, however, include costs associated with
hiring a physician as a medical review doctor and administrative costs.

Walters said the school system could implement the program, if approved,
for the 2002-03 school year. Tests could start in October. But if the
decision is not announced in July, implementation could be delayed until
January, or even to the 2003-04 school year.

The Oklahoma case focuses on random drug tests of students involved in
after-school activities ranging from band to chess club. The suit alleges
that portions of Tecumseh's policy violate students' rights to be free from
unreasonable searches.