Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Donít look for a quick decision on any random drug testing of students in ISD 831.

The idea of drug testing ó floated in December by school board member Joe Grafft, appears headed to committee review and is not likely to become a formal board topic until August.

Grafft raised the idea of a student drug testing policy last month as the board had its first reading of Policy 435 ó Drug-Free Workplace/Drug-Free School.

His idea was to augment Policy 435 with language that would randomly drug test high school students participating in athletics and activities.

Policy 435 was back before the board at its Thursday, Jan. 5 meeting for a second reading and adoption.

The boardís policy committee has recommended that any action on a specific drug testing plan for students fall under its own policy.

That plan meets with Grafftís approval who agreed to move ahead with more study this year and have a plan ready for recommendation by this August.

Based on his review of research, Grafft said he believed the knowledge in the minds of kids that random testing may happen soon would deter some students from using drugs.

ìThere is a problem everywhere,î Grafft said. ìItís statewide.î

While Grafft was in favor of the testing plan, new board member Eric Langness was not.

He said he does not believe testing will work and said he needed more time to review Grafftís research before moving ahead with formation of a committee to study the proposal.

The latter decision could come next month when the board meets again.

All board members will have had time to review research before voting on the committee formation.

Spies speaks

Ron Spies, director of administration and human resources, said the board must consider many factors in creating such a policy. And there are pitfalls, the director said.

Spies said random drug testing is a common practice for school district employees but much less so for students.

While there are no current existing programs in Minnesota, some districts have interest in the kind of program Grafft is suggesting, Spies said.

He said ìreasonable suspicionî may give the district some leverage in having random drug testing, but problems with discrimination in how the program is implemented and Fourth Amendment constitutional rights to protect against unreasonable searches and seizures could cause headaches.

ìIn almost every case there is a lawsuit brought against the school district,î Spies told the board last week.

Minnesota is yet to experience a court test, the administrator said.

He said the district would also have to find resources for the $20 to $30 testing cost for each act of random drug testing.

The delay until February will give board members more time to look at research data and formulate their own opinions pro and con on the testing plan.

The delay would also provide time for the administration to provide a written description of the committee scope and charge prior to the board taking action.

That was a point that member Rob Rapheal said was important to know up front.

The delay to February and late summer this year would also give individual board members an opportunity to hear what citizens are saying on the creation of such a plan.

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