DECATUR SCHOOLS TO HOLD SECOND PUBLIC HEARING ON DRUG TESTS THURSDAY

The public has a second chance to speak out on Decatur City Schools
proposed student drug tests at a hearing Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the
Decatur High School auditorium.

Austin High School Principal Ed Nichols is chairman of the committee
proposing the plan to test students who participate in competitive
extracurricular activities. He hopes attendance increases over the 24
people who attended a hearing two weeks ago at Austin.

"Any time you're dealing with a situation in which there are a great
deal of questions, it's important that the community be able to give
input," Nichols said. "Often, they have ideas that we haven't thought
of, even though we had a broad-based committee from a wide sector of
the community that studied the proposal."

Nichols said he got several good ideas at the Austin meeting,
including re-emphasizing the importance of having a good medical
review officer to deal with the drug testing company.

"One thing I found out is everybody is concerned about helping kids
not to use drugs," Nichols said. "It's good to know that people are
concerned."

According to Nichols, the need for good parent-student orientations
at the start of school was a key point of the hearing. Students will
be tested for alcohol and tobacco, as well as ecstasy, marijuana,
amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, steroids and other illegal drugs.