DRUG-SCREEN PLAN WOULD PLACE SBEC IN NATIONAL TREND

Janice Maynard's son, Hunter, is a sophomore at Southern Baptist
Educational Center in DeSoto County. He plays football and basketball. He's
not a troublemaker.

And in fall 2002, he may be asked to provide a snippet of hair for random
drug screening.

"We're happy with the school's decision to go ahead with the policy,"
Janice Maynard said. "We think this is the best way to go toward achieving
a drug-free school environment."

After two years of study by parents, teachers and administrators, SBEC is
poised to begin random drug screening. In doing so, the school joins a
growing number of private schools nationwide to screen students for drugs.

"We visited several independent schools in the region and found
drug-screening policies have been very well-received," said school
president David Manley. "Many schools have similar policies, so we don't
feel as if we're blazing a pioneer trail here."

SBEC, at 7400 Getwell in Southaven, is DeSoto County's largest private
academy. The school has an enrollment of 1,102 students in preschool
through 12th grade; 368 of those are in grades 7-12.

Drug abuse isn't a problem at SBEC, Manley said, but the screening is an
acknowledgement that the world is a different place than it once was.

"Drug use and experimentation are very much societal issues affecting and
influencing today's teenagers," Manley said. "Drug screening is a
particularly effective method of identifying, minimizing and treating that
problem."

A 15-member committee of parents, teachers and administrators considered
the issue for the past two years. The members recommended the new policy to
the school's governing board last month, and the board agreed to adopt the
policy in the 2002-03 school year.

The screenings will be done on school grounds at random dates throughout
the year, Manley said. The process will be confidential.

"The screenings may occur once a month, they may occur twice a month,"
Manley said. "Some students won't be screened at all, while there's the
possibility that some may be called in more than once. That's the way it is
with the random process."

Students in grades 7-12, along with faculty, staff and administrators, will
receive a confidential number. Those whose numbers are selected will
provide a hair sample, which will be tested.

The screenings will not indicate alcohol use, however. Manley said the
school has a policy for probable-cause testing in cases where alcohol use
is suspected.

Riki Jackson, communications coordinator for DeSoto County schools, said
the county's public school system has a "reasonable suspicion" policy
regarding drug and alcohol use.

The policy, which has been in effect for more than two decades, states that
a student or employee may be required to undergo drug screening if school
authorities are approached with valid concern regarding the person's
appearance or performance.

Shawn McCarver, world history teacher and student council sponsor at SBEC,
views the school's new policy as another reason to say no to drugs. "This
is not an effort to produce a witch hunt, but an attempt to address the
overall cultural danger that drugs pose to young people and to society," he
said.

Jonathan Walker, 15, a sophomore at SBEC, thinks the move is practical.

"We don't want drugs in our schools, and if this helps identify a potential
problem and get rid of it, then I'm all for it," Walker said.

Sophomore Brittany Barbee, 16, also thinks it's a good idea.

"I don't think it's a violation of our rights at all," Barbee said. "When
you consider how drugs can totally ruin lives, you just can't close your
eyes and do nothing."