CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The Cleveland Board of Education is taking another look at proposed random drug testing for students who participate in after-school activities.
So far, however, there are more questions than answers, board members say. So the board is arranging a meeting with board attorney Chuck Cagle to seek more information.
“I think this is an extremely delicate issue, and we will need some legal advice,” Director of Schools Dr. Rick Denning said. “First of all, define ‘random.’ That is a delicate issue of its own.”
The draft version of the proposed policy says “students involved in any voluntary extracurricular activities shall be subject to random drug tests. Parents and students will be informed of this policy prior to participation and shall sign a consent to the drug testing and a release of information as a condition to participation.”
Board member Steve Morgan asked if the problem was significant enough to warrant a random drug test policy.
Board member Dawn Robinson asked who would do the record keeping if such a policy was adopted. Since three-fourths of city students take part in athletics, band, drama and other such activities, that amounts to a lot of record keeping, she said.
Some board members also questioned the definition of an extracurricular activity.
Board Chairwoman Peggy Pesterfield said school counselors need a chance to comment before a policy is adopted.
“I’m all for keeping kids from experimenting and giving them a reason to say no,” Pesterfield said. “But we need to know how effective this can be.”
Some Tennessee schools already have random searches, board member Richard Shaw said. The board needs to ask those schools how they do the searches and the results, he said.
“One question leads to another,” Denning said, “and these are very important questions.”
The question of random drug searches has resurfaced after the Tennessee General Assembly amended state law during the last legislative session. The amended version went into effect July 1.
The amended law allows random drug searches. But the law also says local school systems must have policies “to ensure that those students testing positive receive the assistance needed. The assistance shall include an assessment to determine the severity of the student’s alcohol and drug problem and a recommendation for referral to intervention or treatment resources as appropriate.”
The law does not require school systems to administer drug tests. But it does say “any system that elects to participate shall supply the testing materials and any subsequent counseling within existing local funds.”
That raises another question, city school board members say: Who would pay for the testing, the counseling and treatment?
Pesterfield said the board is postponing any decision until more answers are available.