HISD EYES NEW DRUG POLICY CHANGE

In an effort to curb any temptation and prevent widespread use of drugs on their campuses, a committee has recommended the implementation of a drug-testing policy in Huffman Independent School District.

In April, a committee consisting of parents, students, board members, coaches, sponsors and administrators met to hammer out a proposed policy dealing with drug-testing.

"We've identified some problems with drug use and alcohol abuse," said Myers.  "It's prevalent in our society and we don't want to be naive enough to believe that it doesn't affect us," he said.

The panel hopes that a pro-active stance, supported by the community, will prevent students from making bad decisions.

In short, the policy calls for the random testing of students in grades 7-12 who participate in extracurricular activities or who drive a vehicle on campus.

Myers said he hoped that the board and community would support the implementation of the new policy for the 2004-2005 school year.

Prior to taking any further action, however, Myers announced that the community would have input on the language of the policy with community forums.

"The purpose of the forums is to get the information out to the parents and community members and allow their input into the process," he said.

At the forums, the public will be presented with the proposed policy, the program, and invited to offer their constructive ideas.

The forums are open to the public.  There will be experts from various related fields that will be able to answer questions from the community.

Myers said that the technical part of the program, like how the testing will be done, how the students will be selected and more, would be discussed at the meetings.

The public will have two opportunities to speak out.  The first forum will be May 27 at 6:30 p.m.  in Copeland Cafeteria.

The second and final meeting will be June 1 at 6:30 p.m.  at the I.  T.  May Community Center.

If there are any further questions, you can call Myers at the administration office 281-324-1871.