TWIN LAKES APPROVES DRUG TESTING POLICY

Two controversial issues were approved but not wholly resolved and
squared away by the Twin Lakes School Board during their Tuesday
night meeting.

Approvals were granted for a random student drug testing policy and
the 2008-2009 school calendar, but not without a little protesting
from both inside and outside the board.

The board, without members Susan Mrzlack and Tony Deibel for the
evening, heard comments opposing the drug testing policy from a pair
of Twin Lakes parents before granting unanimous support for the measure.

Ruth Stevens expressed concern that the board had not committed to
providing any support or counseling beyond a positive test for a
student when that instance occurs. She also pressed the board
regarding accuracy of results and confidentiality in suggesting "the
first false positive will endanger that student and their family,
regardless."

Twin Lakes Superintendent Dr. Tom Fletcher explained that a positive
drug test result will result in a conference being held between the
student, their parents or guardians and the school.

Though no additional money has been earmarked for helping students
who test positive, said Fletcher, "We're not going to say, 'You
can't drive' and walk away unless they choose to walk away."

He also noted prevention programs and drug education measures are
implemented throughout the course of a student's career.

But still, that wasn't enough to convince parent Monica Shane, whose
children are in elementary, middle and high school at Twin Lakes.

"I'm disappointed," she said after the vote. "I didn't want it at all."

The random drug testing policy will affect students in grades 6
through 12 who are engaged in athletics and extracurricular
activities or drive to school. The corporation will begin utilizing
the policy at the start of the 2007-2008 school year.

A school year of the future was also up for negotiation Tuesday as a
vote on the 2008-2009 school calendar was taken with board member
John Roscka in disagreement with the rest of the board's sentiment.

The 2008-2009 school calendar poses a problem to administrators,
teachers, students and parents alike in that the starting date of
Tuesday, Aug. 19, coupled with the usual fall semester vacation
days, may not allow students to wrap their semester by Christmas,
as is the corporation's characteristic target.

Having voted on a similar issue about four years ago, the board
decided then not to start school before Aug. 15 in part as a measure
of goodwill toward local employers such as Indiana Beach who lose a
large portion of their workforce when students head back to the
classrooms early in the month.

Roscka Tuesday suggested moving the school start date back earlier
to accommodate a by-Christmas finish to the fall 2008 semester;
board vice president John Gooding said he believed the goal of not
starting before Aug. 15 "is as important today as it was then. You
don't change your mind when things get difficult...We are balancing
the kids' needs with the community's needs the best we can."

According to various Twin Lakes school principals who were in
attendance Tuesday, the decision to complete the semester -
including final exams - before Christmas or after is still up in the air.

Said high school principal Keith Brakel, "We will come up with a
solution that will work for our students so there's not a lot of
stress over Christmas break. There are lots of options to be considered."