October 25, ,2008

MSHA Take to Task for not Including Oral Fluid & Alternative Testing 

Source: Charleston Gazette

Labor unions and mine operators on Tuesday criticized proposed federal rules to expand drug testing to include more than 116,000 coal miners, asking for sweeping changes to the proposal or for it to be dropped.

 Mine operators praised the federal Mine Safety and HealthAdministration for tackling what they consider a major safety problem across the country. But they told agency representatives during a hearing that the rules are less stringent than drug testing already in place throughout much of the industry.

United Mine Workers official urged MSHA to drop the proposal. So, too, did the NationalMining Association, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association,the West Virginia Coal Association and major coal producers Arch Coaland Consol Energy.

They urged MSHA to modify the rules to eliminate protections for employees who fail drug tests and give mineoperators more latitude to examine hair, saliva and blood samples fordrugs rather than limiting testing to urine samples. "Adoption of the proposed rule as published will actually diminish the level of workplace safety," said Mining Association lobbyist Bruce Watzman.

October 25, 2008

Teacher Arrested on Drug Charges

Source: WTNH - Channel 8

The arrest of a New London teacher on drug charges has parents demanding stricter hiring policies including drug testing.

New London is currently in line with pretty much every other public school system in the state. It doesn't do random drug testing, but it is consideringpre-employment testing, and that's something parents would like to see.

A 34-year-old Alison Sposato who taught English as a Second Language, police say, had crack cocaine onher when they pulled her over in Westerly. The new teacher underwent a background check and fingerprinting, but no drug test.

New London's school superintendent says the Board of Education's Policy Committee is looking into pre-employment drug testing for teachers,something only a handful of school systems do right now.

None of them do random drug testing, which is what New London City Councilor Mike Buscetto wants for all city employees.

"I think if you do that and you hang that over people's heads, I think they'll think twice about using drugs," he said.

Last spring he made a motion the matter, long before the recent arrest.

"Especially after this incident I think it's very worthy of a second look," Buscetto said. 

Buscetto says police, fire, and public works do pre-employment drug testing and are considering random testing. Some parents want to see it in the schools.  

"Right now no schools in the state has random drug testing and only a few have pre-employment," Morales said. "They should they should really lookinto that and have it done. I mean as soon as possible. You got toomany young lives at stake here."

One of the unions in New London have agreed to random drug testing. News Channel 8 put a call into the head of the teacher's union in the city, but she never calledback.

October 20, 2008

Open Letter in Support of Random Drug Testing

Source - The Advertiser News

Dad pens open letter favoring drug testing; one life saved would be meaningful

Please consider this just one dad’s opinion on random drug testing at Vernon High School.

Havingput four children through the Vernon school system since 1979, I havenothing but the utmost respect and faith in the administration andstaff. However, under the current laws, they can only do so much tocircumvent potential problems with drug use by the students.

During his freshman year, my son’s suspecteduse was brought to my attention by the school. At that time I took himfor drug testing and counseling. Unfortunately, he was aware that hewas going to be tested and the test was negative. Eventually, wediscovered that he was using drugs. In and out of rehab since 2000, hesuffered through the effects and demons that his drug use caused.Unfortunately, his family suffered along with him. His use ofmarijuana, crack, cocaine and finally heroin finally came to end in Mayof this year. On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, I received a call that my sonhad been found dead as the result of a drug overdose. He was laid torest at the tender age of 26.

Parents aren’t supposed to burytheir children. Would random testing have made a difference with Billy?I can’t say with certainty that it would have helped, but it certainlywould not have hurt. Random testing is just that, it is random. Thefact that those students in the testing pool would include not onlyathletes and club members but also those who drive to school representsa broad population of students. A computer picks the names and testingis immediate. Participants have to provide a certain amount of urineand the container has a temperature gauge on it to insure that thespecimen has come directly from the subject’s body. If the testing isdone under requirements of the law, there is no way to cheat the test.

Ihear many people talking about the students rights; what about myrights as a parent? I am never going to see my son again. If randomdrug testing saves even one family the heartache that my family hassuffered, it is worth it.

My son’s birthday was August 24, 2008.Billy would have been 27 years old. For his 27th birthday, I bought hima headstone for his grave.

William J. Vindler

Highland Lakes