Alexander school board members voted unanimously Thursday to rescind a controversial drug-testing policy until research can be completed for a possible new drug- prevention policy.
Superintendent Robert Bray recommended the school board rescind the policy and conduct a survey of taxpayers in the district to see what they thought would be the best policy for drug prevention in Alexander schools.
The board will seek the advice of Brian Quick, professor of communication studies at Ohio University, during the February board meeting to see what information the board will need to make a good decision on a new policy.
During the board meeting Thursday, two new members, Gordon Brooks and Mike Chapman, were sworn into the Alexander school board. Brooks and Chapman won their positions on the board during the November elections, unseating Synthia Clary and Steve Thomas, who both voted to implement the original drug-testing policy.
Many Alexander district parents came to the board meeting last week to share their ideas on how they would like the new school board to be run.
I think that the election in November showed that people wanted an overwhelming change ... part of establishing this change is establishing the role of the administration and not overstepping those bounds
Alexander district parent Doug Keiter said. One thing that I'd like to see changed is that I'd like to see these board meetings turn into a public participation meeting. I'd like to be able to raise my hand and speak any time instead of just standing up here and giving a monologue.
Sally Jo Wiley, leader of the parents who threatened to sue the Alexander School Board for conducting a committee meeting not open to the public, which resulted in the controversial drug policy, said she would like to see the board go back to a question and answer give and take format. She said she would like to improve the relationship between the parents and the administration.
We weren't paying close enough attention and the board tried to sneak (the drug-testing policy) through
Wiley said. We didn't know anything about (the policy) until we heard that (the board) was doing it.
The group of parents who threatened to sue the school board is still together, Wiley said. Its future role will be to participate more in school board meetings in order to stay informed, so the board will not be able to conduct any meetings free from public scrutiny.
It was a major change for the good with the two new board members being sworn in
Wiley said. (The new board members) were our independent people who will be our independent thinkers and won't be as easily led as the last board.
Board member Fred Davis and Wiley shared the same idea about what kind of drug-prevention policy would be best for Alexander schools. Both said a drug-prevention education plan - rather than a drug-testing plan - for kindergarten through twelfth grade students would be best for curbing student drug use.
The Alexander school board suspended its drug-testing policy for the remainder of the year during the November board meeting to avoid a potential lawsuit over the state's open-meetings law. A group of district parents thought the school board violated the open-meetings law when it created the drug-testing policy during committee meetings that were not open to the public.
The policy was examined during the January meeting by the new board members to establish a position on the policy for the remainder of the school year.
Board member Dale Sinclair was not present for the vote that rescinded the policy.
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