By Steve Alexander Reporter
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Published: Tue, May 27, 2008 - 9:17 pm
Steve Alexander
Under the proposal by Superintendent Roy Nichols, the testing would take place at Vigor and Theodore High Schools and Burns and Denton Middle Schools beginning in the fall.
Students at the four schools subject to random drug testing would be those who participate in extracurricular activities, drive vehicles on campus, or whose parents voluntarily sign them up.
Superintendent Nichols said, "We want to give you (students) an excuse to tell your peers when they try to get you to try drugs to say, 'No, no, no: I want to still be the president of the student government, I want to be an NBA basketball star.' "
Under the plan, students who test positive the first time won't be able to participate in extracurricular activities for 30 days or drive to school, but Nichols said, "If they do slip and fall and they're are caught under the influence of drugs or having had used drugs in the recent past, then we would put them into a counseling program, them and their parents together."
The school board approved the plan unanimously.
Board member Ken Megginson said, "I like the idea of giving the public a little bit more information, a little bit more time."
But don't necessarily expect the drug testing program to get final approval at the next board meeting Monday morning.
School officials want to give the public a chance to give feedback on the proposal first.
Tuesday night, The board was also scheduled to talk about a proposal re-designating LeFlore High School as LeFlore Magnet School, with a theme of pre-law and pre-medicine.
But the item was pulled from the agenda because Board Member Fleet Belle, who represents the district that includes LeFlore, wasn't at the meeting.
The change back to LeFlore Magnet School is scheduled to be taken up again Monday.
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Get ready parents, many will be going to drug rehab with their children. Look out! the football team may not have any teenagers left to make up a team.