Feb 02, 2008 @ 11:28 PM – By BILL ROSENBERGER – The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON — The authors of the proposed student drug testing policy aren’t quite ready to move from the rough draft phase to presenting it for first read to members of the Cabell County School Board.
But at Tuesday’s board meeting, they will release bids received from companies to administer and read the tests.
Superintendent William Smith, Assistant Superintendent Judy Forbush and Administrative Assistant for Secondary Education Todd Alexander, who worked for about two months putting together the first draft of the policy, are waiting on a review from the Cabell County Schools legal team. They want to know whether or not it is constitutional to include students who drive to school into their random pool.
The policy, as written, would include high school and middle school students in interscholastic extracurricular activities ranging from athletics to school-supported clubs. The drug testing policy also would allow parents to opt their children into the pool of students who would be randomly tested throughout the year.
The first draft of the policy also includes testing for performance-enhancing drugs, which would be randomly tested for within the random samples.
Alexander said administrators also felt strongly about adding middle school students to the policy. But it won’t be cheap. In early discussions last fall, officials estimated a cost of about $15,000, but only for the testing of high school students.
After adding the middle schools and receiving bids, Alexander said it could cost about $60,000 a year. The bidders, which are both local and non-local, priced the performance-enhancing drug testing at about $150, while a regular drug test would cost anywhere from $25 to $50.
“You’re looking at a costly program,” Alexander said. “What we’ll be looking for in the next several months is federal grants that could pay for the program. There are some dollars that can help offset this.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board will recognize a number of Cabell County teachers who recently became nationally certified and talk about a city of Huntington resolution passed last Monday night by Huntington City Council members who are against building a new middle school outside of city limits.
The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. and is held at 2850 5th Ave., Huntington.