Published: May 28, 2009 01:57 pm      

New Albany-Floyd County board to consider random student drug testing

NEW ALBANY — Random drug testing of student drivers, athletes, those participating in band and more is moving forward at New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp.

The board agreed at Wednesday’s work session that much more work needs to be done before implementing anything, though. Spokesman Dave Rarick said there also will be at least one public hearing before any decision is made.

The board talked about wanting to start drug testing at a previous work session and asked that more facts be brought before them on how other school corporations handle it.

Don Unruh, athletic director at New Albany High School, gave the board survey results from schools within the Hoosier Hills Conference that drug test, including Seymour, Bedford and Columbus East.

Superintendent Dennis Brooks said he had experience working in another corporation that randomly drug tested students.

“I can’t prove to you it was a deterrent [to drug use],” he told the board. “I think it was.”

He said he felt that it gives students another reason to say no when offered drugs or alcohol.

He said the corporation he was at had not anticipated all the small issues that can come up with testing — such as privacy when submitting a sample — until after the fact. He urged the board to use careful planning to work out those details and more ahead of time.

He also said that the corporation was sued on the matter, but won in court.

“This has to be random to be legal, and the policy has to be very clear,” he added.

The board agreed to have Brooks make a recommendation to start developing a drug testing policy via a committee of parents, teachers and more at the June 15 school board meeting.



WEIGLEB STADIUM

Floyd Central High School’s football stadium is officially named Weigleb Stadium after the board voted 5-2 to approve the naming.

Ron Weigleb coached in the corporation for more than 20 years, board members said. He worked with track and football, according to board members.

Weigleb suffers from terminal cancer that is inoperable, according to Phillip Lockhart, who addressed the board Tuesday night.

That night, Lockhart presented the board with a petition showing support to name the facility after Weigleb. He said the board would only have to approve the naming and that donations would pay for the additional signage to the facility.

The board debated whether they should approve the move, especially since the football field is named Scott Field, after the last county superintendent.