Drug Testing, Prevention Discussed by Brentwood School Board

Preventing drug use by Brentwood students was the primary topic of Tuesday night's Brentwood Board of Education meeting.

School administrators and police officers were invited to talk about their personal interactions with students. The discussion follows last month's meeting, when board member Katrina Harper called for the .

Harper said drug testing would give students the option to reject peer pressure. The program would cost between $6,000 and $10,000 per year, Superintendent Dr. Charles Penberthy estimated.

But drug testing might be too narrow of a solution, said Dr. Julie Sperry, principal of Brentwood Middle School.

"How can we be more proactive instead of reactive?" said Sperry in an interview on Wednesday.

She emphasized a need for programs that help build the community in a way that prevents drug abuse. For example, she cited a need for a full-time resource officer in Brentwood schools. The Brentwood Police Department previously paid for an officer to be a presence in the schools full-time, but the expense was cut a few years ago.

Sperry commended Brentwood officer Jim McIntyre, who built relationships with students by teaching classes and even eating lunch with students.

"He was like a member of the staff," Sperry said. "He had an awesome relationship with the kids."

Paul Clayton now works as the school resource officer and teaches D.A.R.E. in the elementary schools and , but that's only part-time.

Board member Keith Rabenberg, who remains skeptical of drug testing's effectiveness, asked during the meeting if funding a school resource officer might be a better use of money.

“If we spent $10,000 on drug testing, I’m skeptical we’d get anywhere. What if we spent $10,000 to pay the police department to authorize an officer to be in our school district?” he asked.

McIntyre, who was also in attendance, said having a resource officer allows the police to approach drug situations before they become problems. He specifically referred to students helping to prevent drug abuse.

“When they know something is wrong...they know a policeman to go tell,” McIntyre said.

An idea to increase cooperation outside of the school district was also discussed.

Dr. Donald Rugraff, principal of Brentwood High School, suggested creating a program to empower student leaders to fight drug abuse in the school.

The program would function as an alliance between the schools, city and community, Rugraff said. The group could host educational forums and build relationships between the different groups.

The high school has several students who simply need an outlet to show their leadership, said Dr. Ed Johnson, assistant principal of the high school.

The conversation is expected to continue over the next several weeks as different school officials debate the best options that prevent drug abuse in schools.

Penberthy said he'll propose a plan to the school board at its next regularly-scheduled meeting.