N. PIKE MULLS DRUG TESTING

North Pike school trustees put the wheels in motion for a district
drug policy Monday night.

"We need to start a dialogue on what we need to do in the district,"
Superintendent Dr. Ben Cox said.

Citing a drug and drinking online survey North Pike high school
students take annually, Cox said, "It does show that some of our kids
are doing illicit drugs and drinking alcohol."

Although Cox said the percentages weren't alarming - he didn't have
numbers - it was enough to get the drug-testing ball rolling for
grades 9 through12. Another factor behind the proposed policy is that
other schools are already taking the lead in testing their students.

Cox wants the school board to continue talking about the idea and
begin putting together details after careful study. And until a policy
is in place, the district will be doing other things to warn kids
about the dangers of drinking and driving and using drugs.

"We're going to strengthen our drug awareness and abuse program," Cox
said.

Law officers and others who fight the drug and drinking problem will
be invited more often to speak to the student body and at club
meetings and drug dogs will make more appearances at the school for
searches, Cox said.

The most likely place to start drug-testing, Cox said, is with the
athletic program, including cheerleaders and, possibly, band members.

"Athletes are role models, and if kids see them doing it, they might
say, 'Hey, if they can do it, so can we,' " Cox said.

One component of the policy will be an advisory board, where high
school principal Darryl Brock will meet regularly with a selected
group of students.

Cox stressed that "it's not always the bad kids using drugs and
alcohol, it cuts across everybody."

The trustees will study policies in place at other schools, including
the plans at McComb High School and Southwest Mississippi Community
College, as guidelines for their own plan.

"We will benefit from districts going in front of us," Cox
said.

One rule is already in place: the district can't test the general
population - only those who take part in school-sponsored activities.
The school can't test just anyone; that would be an invasion of
privacy, Cox said..

As board attorney John Gordon Roach said, "extracurricular activities
are a privilege; academics is a right."

Questions to be answered include the costs of testing and who will do
it, the number of students tested and how often, and what the school's
actions will be after a positive test, including mandatory counseling.
Cox also wants the policy to include a section that allows parents of
students who would not fall into the testing population to be added to
the pool.

"Do we want to test all of them in extracurricular activities or do we
start with athletics and expand it as we go?" Cox asked. "We need to
think about it carefully. We don't need to be in a big rush to do
this. We need to really tailor it for North Pike."

"I hope it helps good kids say no to drugs. It will make them think
that if you do drugs, you could get caught," he said.