Jasper School District will implement a new drug-testing policy when students return for the 2013-14 school year.
Superintendent Kerry Saylors said he plans to wait until September to begin monthly random drug-testing of seventh through 12th graders involved in extra-curricular activities, such as basketball, Future Farmers of America or Student Council. Students who park vehicles on the district’s campuses also will be subject to drug-testing.
About 325 students attending school in Jasper, Kingston and Oark will be affected by the policy, Saylors said. Between 2 percent and 15 percent of those students will be tested each month; Saylors plans to start on the lower end of that range.
“This year we’re probably just going to tiptoe into this,” he said.
The Jasper School Board and administration spent a year researching drug-testing for students, Saylors said. The School Board voted 4-3 in May to adopt the policy. Those who supported the policy hoped it would act as a deterrent, he said.
“It’s there to hopefully help a few children say, ‘No, I don’t want to go down that road,’ and also to help some get back on the best path if they are going down that road,” Saylors said.
Board members who voted against the policy worried about infringing on the rights of students and about the district taking on a parental role, Saylors said.
School Board member Todd Scarborough spent weeks on the Internet reading about drug-testing from experts on children and law enforcement. He could not find any evidence to show whether random drug-testing is an effective deterrent.
“I just felt it was not the right thing to do,” Scarborough said.
His reasons for voting against the policy include the expense, placing another burden on school staff without additional pay and discouraging participation in extra-curricular activities. If a student uses a substance on a Saturday night and is among those chosen for random drug-testing the next week, the studentcan quit basketball to avoid being tested, Scarborough said. The test doesn’t make a distinction between students who used a substance once or multiple times, he said.
Even though district administrators aim for confidentiality, students will know a teammate tested positive when they are suspended from playing, Scarborough said.
“I think there’s going to be inherent flaws,” he said.
The School Board will review the policy again in a year, Saylors said.
Saylors anticipates that the School Board will decide on a company to conduct drug-testing in July, he said. He anticipates spending $1,500 on drug-testing in 2013-14.
If a student tests positive for illegal drugs, the superintendent or his designee will notify a parent or guardian and schedule a meeting with the student, parent, head coach or sponsor and principal.
The penalty for the first positive test is a 20-day suspension from school activities or parking on campus, unless the student participates in counseling. The superintendent can reduce the suspension to 10 days with participation in counseling, but the student would be subject to mandatory drug tests for the rest of the school year.
Parents are responsible for the costs of counseling and additional drug tests.
The suspensions from extra-curricular activities and parking increase with subsequent positive drug tests.
The policy also states that students will not be penalized academically for testing positive for illegal drugs and that information from drug tests will not be reported to criminal or juvenile authorities unless required under a subpoena or other legal process.
Newton County Sheriff Keith Slape was not aware of the new drug-testing policy. In Newton County, the sheriff’s office combats prescription drug abuse and marijuana use, he said.
Slape said he believes in education to help teenagers avoid using drugs. When he goes to schools, he encourages younger children to say no if they are asked to try drugs, he said. He shows older students pictures and videos to educate them about the dangers of drug use.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 06/21/2013