Published: March 18, 2009 11:16 pm      

Mineral BOE focuses on new drug-testing policy

KEYSER, W.Va. — The Mineral County Board of Education hopes to have its drug-testing policy for students in extracurricular activities and those with driving privileges ready for approval at the next meeting.

“Any changes that need to be made, make them tonight,” Terry LaRue, board president, said at Tuesday’s meeting. “My feeling at this point in time is to make the decision. There is no need to belabor this any further. We’ve all had the chance to talk to people in other counties (with a drug-testing policy). Whether we approve or disapprove ... there is no need to delay.”

The board reviewed the current draft of the plan, commenting and marking changes. They asked Schools Superintendent Skip Hackworth to take those changes and create a final draft to be approved at the March 24 meeting.

Hackworth said while they wouldn’t have final prices until the drug testing could be put out for bid, he had found a company that offers the standard testing at $27 per student. Testing for alcohol and nicotine could be added to the standard 10-panel test at additional cost.

The cost for anabolic steroid testing would be an additional $90. Hackworth said the board should have specific times when steroids would be tested, rather than doing it throughout the year, and should limit testing to only certain students.

He said he felt the costs were relatively inexpensive, at an anticipated total cost of $6,480 for the year’s worth of testing for the 10-panel test.

“Any cost would have to be bid,” he said. “They would have to do that for proposals. I didn’t want you to consider this policy upon a cost that is not going to be the case.”

They also addressed concerns expressed by the public and staff.

“I’m looking for some clarification to eliminate confusion,” said Joe Altobello, assistant principal at Keyser High School.

Altobello questioned whether the plan would contradict the existing no-tolerance drug policy. Students would be on school property for many of the extracurricular activities, and he questioned if one were to test positive, how it would be different from testing positive during school. Students testing positive during school hours currently face harsher disciplinary action, and he said he felt this could undermine that.

Charles Wimer, principal at Keyser, also had concerns with the new policy and said it might lessen the effectiveness of the current in-school policy. Currently, if a teacher or staff member suspects that a student is under the influence, it is possible to have the student tested for drugs.

While a student can be suspended or expelled from school for coming to school under the influence, under the proposed policy, a student with drugs in his system would only be suspended from the extracurricular activity. Both Wimer and Altobello questioned the consistency of the two policies.

Hackworth said in the case of the extracurriculars, the testing would be taking place after school hours and the school would be viewed the same as any off-school testing site. The positive test would technically take place on school grounds, but not during the hours when the no-tolerance policy is in effect.

William “Butch” Wahl, New Creek resident, questioned why, under the proposed plan, a driver with a second positive test would lose driving privileges for 90 school days, where a student in an extracurricular would be suspended from that activity for only 14 calendar days.

Hackworth said students who drive can still get to school if the driving privilege is suspended, but students in an activity would miss the entire activity, such as an entire sport season.

Parents who sign up their children for the program as an option would be responsible for any punishment to be inflicted.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.