Alamagordo, NEW MEXICO

Random drug test policy criticized as inadequate.

August 1, 2008 - Parents criticized a proposed random drug test policy for students. For one, the random tests would only be administered to drivers with school parking permits and those enrolled in sports programs. One parent who is a testing administrator for the Holloman Air Force Base drug program found fault with the policy.

"As a parent I want a 100 percent testing" policy, Shipman said. "I think my daughter needs to be part of the program."

Shipman said she found a lot of loopholes in the proposed policy. She had a copy of the document with eight of the 12 pages marked significantly in red.

Shipman's daughter is not in sports or driving, so she wouldn't be tested.

"But I also want her to know that just because she doesn't drive and doesn't participate in sports its not okay to do drugs," Shipman said.

Another parents complained that those who do competitive sports are less likely to be doing drugs. And, too, as another parent pointed out, the policy doesn't address what to do with students who are caught with drugs or who have vehicles with drugs in them.

Drug testing - Hawaii

July 1, 2008 - Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle said she does not believe the teachers union and the state Department of Education have been unable to reach an agreement on implementing random drug testing because of funding.

"It wasn't that they just had one more thing they wanted to tweak to implement the program. They wanted to go back to the beginning and negotiate what was already been negotiated," Lingle said.

It has been nearly a year since Hawaii's teachers signed a new contract that included an 11 percent pay raise and random drug testing for public schoolteachers.

June 30 was the deadline to draw up a drug testing policy but the Department of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association have been unable to reach an agreement.
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TT - The teachers voted 61% to accept random drug testing in a vote that the union said too close to call.

Previous entries: Entry Entry Entry Entry
Hawaii Board of Education Refuses to pay for drug testing Entry

In exchange for the 8% increase , the union "agreed" to random drug testing. Sorta.

As part of a new contract, HSTA agreed to work with the Department of Education to develop a random drug and alcohol testing program for all teachers that would be implemented by June 2008. There's the loophole, and you knew there had to be one if the union agreed to drug testing. The union will help develop the drug testing policy.

Drug Testing

June 22, 2008 - Nippersink District 2 will discuss expanding drug testing for new hires beyond bus drivers Tuesday night.

If the school board decides to test new teachers and certified staff, and employees’ unions agree to it, the district will join a small handful of McHenry County school districts that do so.

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TT - In 2007, the teachers union conducted a 9-day strike in McHenry County's Nippersink School District Two.

The walkout began October 12th and affected about 140 teachers and staff within the district. The district serves 1,600 students at four schools -- three in Richmond, including Richmond-Burton High School, and one in Spring Grove.

In April 2008, Daniel Scott Markofski, 47, principal of principal of Spring Grove Elementary School, which is part of Nippersink Elementary District 2, was arrested, accused of bringing teenage girls to a Wisconsin motel for marijuana, pornographic movies, wine coolers, cognac and sex last weekend. TT entry for Markofski.

Culpeper, VIRGINIA

Drug test policy possible.

June 18, 2008 - If approved by the Culpeper County Public School Board, new employees would take a drug test before being hired to work in any of the county’s 10 schools. The board will discuss the issue during its regular work session on Monday.

The drug test policy being proposed was in response to a constituent concern linked to the arrests of two former Culpeper County Public School teachers have faced separate felony drug charges.

Frank “Chip” Rea - sentenced to three months in jail for cocaine possession and marijuana possession. He resigned. Entry

Michele Auville - arrested for possession of a controlled substance -crack cocaine. She resigned. Entry.

NO POLICY June 23 - The Culpeper County Public School’s administration committee recommended that the School Board not move forward with a proposed drug policy, implementing random drug tests to all employees.

Drug Testing in Hawaii

Jan 25, 2008 - The Hawaii Board of Education voted 7- 0 against funding a new drug-testing program for public school teachers, saying it would take money from educational programs. The board wants the governor and the Legislature to come up with funding for the program.

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TT - The teacher union members voted 61% FOR drug testing in exchange for an 8% raise in salary for all members. TT link

No teachers in Hawaii lose their licenses for convictions, let alone drug use. The reason is the makeup of the Standards Board. TT link

Hawaii Board of Education site
They have their Board minutes online.

Jan 25 - Governor Linda Lingle (R) said the Hawaii public school teachers' new contract will be invalid if the school board continues to reject an agreed-upon teachers' drug testing program.

An invalid contract would mean Hawaii teachers could lose their most recent pay raises. Lingle said the education department can afford to pay for drug testing.

Drug Testing Teachers

Jan 13, 2008 - The Express-Times (NJ) reports that local school boards are considering pre-employment drug testing for teachers and staff after Bethlehem, PA principal John Acerra was sentenced for drug charges.

According to the article, the two districts considering the policy are Easton and Bethlehem Area school districts. Three months ago the Northampton Area School District passed such a policy.

At first the Bethlehem District considered considered a random drug- testing policy. District officials relented when a solicitor said it would violate the constitutional rights of teachers.

The Northampton solicitor said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld the right of school districts to drug test teacher and staff applicants, in the 1998 case Knox County Education Association vs. Knox County Board of Education. Miller said the court found because they hold a "safety-sensitive position," teachers should expect their privacy rights to be at least slightly reduced. The objection seems to come from the ACLU.

And teacher unions.

The Bethlehem district draft policy will be presented to the board in upcoming months.

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TT random drug testing for teachers was recently adopted in Hawaii but the governor made acceptance of the policy part of a deal for new raises. The state establishes teacher salaries. The teachers in Hawaii voted to accept drug testing. Link (Already challenged by the ACLU. TT-Link)

The Northampton pre-employment drug testing policy was adopted in October. TT- Link

Public safety officers across the country - police and fire - and government workers in sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing that apparently doesn't violate their constitutional rights.

Charleston, WEST VIRGINIA

New drug-testing policy.



Dec 14, 2007 - The Kanawha County School Board unanimously passed a drug-testing policy, a week after a Hayes Middle School teacher was pulled over and charged with a DUI, speeding and obstructing.

Under the policy the board members passed, all employees of the school board system would still be given and subject to a pre-employment drug test, a for cause test, a missing substance test, a fitness for duty test and return to duty testing.

The teacher who was arrested was Suzette C. Harich. TT - Link

Tiger, GEORGIA

Drug testing students in a Georgia school.

Oct 18, 2007 - In their second year of drug testing athletes, of the 450 random drug tests Rabun County High School administered during the 2006-07 year to student drivers, club members and athletes, only one came back positive.

Last year, Safety & Compliance Management Inc., of Rossville, conducted three tests for 150 students at a time. Of the 850 students enrolled at RCHS last school year, 426 students participate in extracurricular activities and are eligible for the random tests.

During testing, students, who are randomly selected and identified only by a number, produce urine samples. The samples are then tested on site for traces of five substances, including cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, marijuana and opiates.

If a positive is detected, the sample is sent to a lab in Memphis, Tenn., for additional testing, according to Safety & Compliance owner Calvin Andrews.If a positive is again revealed, the information is forwarded to a certified toxicologist to determine if the student has a medical reason for the findings.

For example, some children suffering from attention deficit disorder could test positive for methamphetamine,

Pre-employment Drug Testing for Teachers

Responsible school administrators.

Oct 8, 2007 -

Northampton Area has become one of the first school districts in the Lehigh Valley to require prospective employees to get tested for drugs.Northampton is one of several local districts that discussed tightening drug policies in the wake of a Bethlehem principal's February arrest for drug dealing.

Last week, Northampton school officials agreed their first step will be to require drug tests, starting next week, of everyone who receives a job offer to be a teacher, administrator or other employee.

''We have the right to request a pre-employment drug test,'' said Assistant Superintendent Bill Falstich. ''We want to make sure that we maintain a safe and drug-free workplace, not only for our students but for our employees as well.''

The Pennsylvania School Boards Association estimates that at least 75 of the state's 501 school districts already have policies on pre-employment drug testing.

The Northampton Area School Board, which voted 7-0 on Oct. 1 to approve the screenings of prospective employees, also is still discussing requiring drug tests for current employees, said Robert Koch, the board's president.

TT - Good for them. Not only do schools have a right to test employees before they hire them, they have a responsibility to do so.

When schools adopt zero tolerance policies for drugs for students, they ought to require the same for teachers and administrators, staff, and school board members.