Drug Testing and Advertising Hot Topics at School Board Meeting

By Dave Freneaux

Monday's Central Community School Board meeting was dominated by discussions of drug testing and advertising.  Much media coverage has been given to Central in neighboring Baton Rouge media over the drug testing being done in Central schools.  One parent of a CHS student requested to address the issue with the School Board.  She is in favor, as was everyone who spoke at the meeting, of drug testing as a way to ensure the safety of the children of Central.  Her objection was over the use of hair sampling instead of urinalysis to conduct the drug tests.  She also pointed out technical flaws in the paperwork used to authorize a few of the tests.
 
Athletic Director Sid Edwards, who has been put in charge of overseeing the drug testing, shared that if one child in central uses illegal drugs, Central has a drug problem.  He further acknowledged that a few of the permission slips were incorrectky worded, but that the vast majority of the tests were done without flaws.  With over 250 students having been tested, only five tests were returned positive.  All students involved in optional and voluntary extra-curricular activities are required to submit to the drug testing program.
 
With the issue at hand being whether hair sampling was to be used for drug testing, School Board Member Starns pointed out that the School System does not have a policy clearly stating that hair sampling is the method to be used.  As such, the Board voted to temporarily suspend drug testing for only the length of time required to have the policy reviewed and updated and to ensure that all drug testing is done in strict accordance with policy.  Indications were that the review and reinstatement of the policy would take only a matter of weeks.
 
In the matter of advertising and in light of an offer made to all School Board Members and the Superintendant by this newspaper, CentralSpeaks.com, for the Central Community School System to receive free advertising, School Board Member Starns had requested details of all advertising money spent by the System over the past three years.  Over that time period approximately $26,000 had been spent with the Advocate for required legal notices because the Advocate is the School System's official journal.  Additionally, somewhere near $45,000 appears to have been spent on optional advertising with the Central City News.  Mr. Starns shared that about $15,000 of this money went to purchase advertisements in an effort to inform the public about the two tax elections in support of new school construction.  Starns' tough questions came regarding the remaining $30,000 of adveritising done since the tax election was held 16 months ago.
 
The question was asked by the public as well as Mr. Starns as to why the School System was paying to advertise information which appeared to news which should be of interest to local media without having to pay for advertising.  In addition, the Central Community School System has paid to advertise several public bids in the Central City News.  The cost to advertise these bids for three weeks in the Advocate where they are required to run is approximately $180.  The same ads which appeared in the Central City News were billed at a total of $1,350.  Other concerns raised were over several ads which were seemed to have been double billed by the Central City News. The School Board passed this issue on to the finance committee for review and recommendation back to the Board.
 
In subsequent conversations with Mr. Jenkins of the Central City News and the Finance Director of the School System CentralSpeaks.com confirmed that the billing discrepencies have been resolved and that on overpayment of $1,500 would be credited to the School System.