Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Schools

District might join drug testing program

School Board members might decide tonight whether to accept a grant for random testing.

By TOM MARSHALL
Published December 12, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - The Hernando County School Board might decide tonight whether to join a federal program to randomly test students for illegal drug use.

In September, the district applied for - and promptly received - a $183,289 grant from the Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools program to test the urine of students involved in competitive athletic programs.

But it did so knowing the School Board was divided on the question and might not accept the money. Even after the Nov. 7 election, that remained the case: New member Dianne Bonfield supports the measure, while newcomer John Sweeney opposes it.

Of the three remaining members, Chairman Pat Fagan opposes it, Sandra Nicholson supports it and Jim Malcolm is on the fence. Lately, the board has expressed interest in a voluntary testing program, for which federal funds cannot be used under the program guidelines.

Hernando's isn't the only Tampa Bay area school board to face the question.

Last month, the Citrus County School Board took a hard look at accepting its own grant for the same program. After hearing an impassioned community debate, the members voted 4-1 against it.

Several board members and superintendent Sandra "Sam" Himmel said they were disconcerted to learn that the federal government wanted them to leave one high school out of the program, for comparison's sake.

Himmel - who supports drug testing and had encouraged the board to pursue the grant - told the St. Petersburg Times that she was uncomfortable with the idea that some students wouldn't be eligible for a program that she thinks deters drug use.

And district administrator Jonny Bishop said he had traveled to Washington and learned that grant recipients would have to allow federal researchers to survey student drug use in their schools, without a guarantee of student confidentiality.

Board members heard plenty of support for drug testing, with some administrators saying it could save student lives.

But a majority concluded that the federal program was too narrow - and perhaps too focused on drug detection rather than prevention - for its taste.

Drug testing isn't a new idea in Hernando County. Since at least 2001, the district has asked students suspected of drug use to provide a urine test or face immediate suspension and the possibility of expulsion.

Last year, 192 such tests were performed, along with 60 more since August, program coordinator Janice Smith said.

She said testing, and the threat of a positive result, can help students resist peer pressure and avoid slipping into drug use. Hernando students are particularly at risk for drug use, according to the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey.

There have also been some passionate voices against testing, including Lisa Hammond of the Hernando County Community Anti-Drug Coalition. She called for a stronger investment in drug education programs and helped Nature Coast Technical High School secure a $30,000 grant to teach a prevention program endorsed by Sports Illustrated.

But Hernando hasn't seen the sort of communitywide debate that preceded Citrus County's vote on the federal testing program.

The board meets at 7 p.m. today in the School Board meeting room, 919 N Broad St., Brooksville.

Tom Marshall can be reached at 352 848-1431 or tmarshall@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 12, 2006, 06:26:15]