On Jan 10, 7:38 am, "Chess One" wrote:
Board approves drug testing
Arrowhead High to test 10 times a year
By BRANDON LORENZ
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Jan. 9, 2008
Town of Merton - Arrowhead High School became the second high school in
Waukesha County to begin randomly testing students in athletic or
competitive activities for drugs, after assurances from administrators that
the program was legal and wouldn't create false positive test results.

The School Board voted 8-1 Wednesday night for the program. Board member
Judie Ristow voted no. Superintendent Craig Jefson said the policy was
modeled after programs in the Pewaukee and Waunakee school districts. The
U.S. Supreme Court ruled such tests legal six years ago.
25% of students qualify
Students would be subject to random tests if they are involved in
competitive activities where they represent the school, such as athletics,
as long as the activity is not required as part of a credited course. That
would mean about 25%, or approximately 600, of the school's students could
be eligible for testing each year.

Board member Kent Rice questioned whether the policy was overly broad.
Students become subject to testing as soon as they complete a parent
permission card and remain subject for testing until they graduate, whether
they are participating in a competitive activity or not.

The rules were made to simplify management of the program, said Pete
Nejedlo, associate principal for Arrowhead's North Campus. Nejedlo said
keeping track of which students are participating in an activity that would
require testing during the year would be complicated.

Tested substances would include alcohol, nicotine and tobacco products,
marijuana, opiates and amphetamines. Positive results could lead to
discipline under the district's athletic code, as well as parental
notification and treatment referrals.

The first violation under the athletic code makes students ineligible for
30% of their season. A second violation makes students ineligible for 60%. A
third removes them for an entire season, Nejedlo said.

Extracurricular activities that would be subject to testing include the
chess and robotics clubs, Jefson said.

Students who test positive may ask for a retest at their own expense. The
school will test 10 times during the school year, and test results will be
available within 24 hours, Nejedlo said.

The cost for a student to take a retest is about $72, said Debra Paradowski,
associate principal for Arrowhead's South Campus. Students who refuse a test
are treated as if they tested positive.

The annual cost of the program is estimated to range from $10,000 to
$12,000.

SOURCE:http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=705622 //Phil Innes

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Some background that the Brattleboro Bedlam overlooked in his
hysterical rush to post this non-story:

http://www.abanet.org/publiced/lawda.../hs_drugs.html

"The most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in this area is Vernonia
v. Acton, 515 U.S. 646 (1995). The Court ruled that the Fourth
Amendment permitted a school policy that prevented students from
participating in interscholastic sports unless they agree to random
drug testing....the Supreme Court ruled ... stating that students have
a reduced expectation of privacy and should expect intrusions on their
normal rights and privileges when they choose to participate in high
school athletics. The Court used a balancing test. It weighed the
students' privacy interests against the interests of the school
district in providing a drug-free environment. "

"In Todd v. Rush County Sch., 139 F. 3d 571 (7th Cir. Ind. 1998),
cert. denied, Todd v. Rush County Sch. 142 L. Ed. 2d 53 (1998), the
7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a drug testing program under which
all students who wish to participate in extracurricular activities
must consent to random and suspicionless urine testing for alcohol,
unlawful drug, and cigarette usage. Extracurricular activities include
athletic teams, Student Council, Foreign Language Clubs, Fellowship of
Christian Athletes, Future Farmers of America Officers and the Library
Club. The court indicated that the linchpin of this drug testing
program is to protect the health of the students involved. The court
stated, "the plague of illicit drug use which currently threatens our
nation's schools adds a major dimension to the difficulties the
schools face in fulfilling their purpose--the education of our
children. If the schools are to survive and prosper, school
administrators must have reasonable means at their disposal to deter
conduct which substantially disrupts the school environment.""

Why P Innes thinks this is a chess politics matter passeth all
understanding.