Drug testing at Eldred School District broached

ANYA TIKKA
Posted 8/21/12

ELDRED, NY — The Eldred Central School District Board of Education voted to start the process of exploring drug testing in the school district after exchanges, at times heated, in the packed …

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Drug testing at Eldred School District broached

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ELDRED, NY — The Eldred Central School District Board of Education voted to start the process of exploring drug testing in the school district after exchanges, at times heated, in the packed meeting room in George Ross Mackenzie Elementary School in Glen Spey. The debate over what to do with what many say is a significant drug problem in the district started when Josh Santoro, a sports coach, stood up and gave an impassioned speech about the issue at a meeting on September 10. “Start drug testing right now,” he insisted, while several of those present demanded answers about how bad the problem is, and what the district is doing about it.

“The problem is here, and it’s right now. We have a drug problem here, a very big drug problem,” said Santoro, who has been a coach and also a substitute teacher in the district for 10 years.

He indicated the district as a whole has been turning a blind eye on the issue for a long time, and that it’s gotten worse and worse. He added, “It’s like ‘Cheers;’ everybody knows your name. Little problems in Eldred are big problems, because we’re such a small school.”

He also said, “I’m getting phone call after phone call from the family members, because of the program I’ve taken over. We have no choice here. We’re talking about heroin.”

Addressing parents, Santoro said further, “As a coach responsible for your kids, I take this job very seriously. It’s not the sports, it’s the youth I’m responsible for. I grew up in the ‘70s; I know what certain things look like. I’ve been around.”

Santoro said he couldn’t start administering drug tests, but something needed to be done.

“Do not dare tell me it costs too much. Do not dare to tell me that we’re putting a value on our kids. Sports is a privilege. In any athletic event, talking about the legality of it, there’s a risk of a kid dying right there in the field if they’re high, because your body cannot handle what you’re putting into it,” he said.

He also thought that drug testing would solve much of the problem. “I tell you if we start testing, the kids won’t do it, because they want to be with their friends.”

He added that drug testing should be done not just for sports, but for any extra-curricular activity, including band, chorus, IT and plays.

“Everyone gets tested, and you will save lives,” Santoro said.

He concluded, “I’m not asking, but I’m a little bit above demanding now, start drug testing, if I have to go out of my own pocket, I’ll do that to get drug testing started.”

Loud applause followed.

His remarks prompted many comments. Some felt it would be too harsh to isolate the offenders, making them even more susceptible for possibly increased drug use. Others recommended counseling, psychological services, and education. One resident suggested a suspension could be imposed for one or two seasons, giving the student a chance to come back, “so we don’t lose them,” she added.

Board President Doug Reiser said that taking away a whole year of sports might backfire, and that psychological education to raise awareness should be considered also.

Superintendent Robert Dufour acknowledged it was a problem in the district, and that school officials take it very seriously, giving out punishment, mostly in the form of suspension, if a student is caught. He said the worst substances are alcohol and marijuana.

One of the teachers, Maria Nealon suggested a working solution. She said, “Protocols are already in place to deal with this; they are three quarters in place. We can’t mandate psychological counseling, so what I’m asking is, if the board would start to explore, because it takes several meetings to change, to add into policy about drug testing.”

Some of those present warned about a possible backlash politically if drug testing was put in place, saying there’s powerful resistance in the district to it.

Dufour explained no one in the Hudson Valley School Districts was doing drug testing, but he personally is for it. Nearby Delaware Valley is doing drug testing, but that’s in Pennsylvania and is governed by different laws.

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