Keys school board approves drug testing
Monroe County’s three traditional high schools will have random drug testing reinstated this fall for athletes and students in performance groups connected to sports, the School Board unanimously decided this week.
The trial program will run for the 2017-18 school year only and the board would have to revisit the issue to keep it going longer.
“To now include all students who put themselves out on the field of play for physical exertion, we are no longer singling out the athletes,” said board member Andy Griffiths. “For me, this passes legal as well as moral muster. We are looking out for the safety of all of these students.”
From day one, the high school principals, coaches and district administrators said the policy was to prevent drug use and intervene in cases where a student was in trouble with drugs or alcohol, not to punish users.
District gets a ‘B’
Keys schools received their annual grades from the state Wednesday, with the district earning once again a B. In 2015, the district was an A-rated school under the grading system.
Based on student achievement, the school district was one percentage point away from earning an A, as was Gerald Adams Elementary School, said Superintendent Mark Porter, who said overall the district did well.
“Gaining 27 additional points and finishing only 1 percentage point from an ‘A’ rating is an outstanding accomplishment for the Monroe County Schools,” Porter said.
Results from the Florida Department of Education have 11 districts statewide earning an A, while 37 earned a B.
Except for Coral Shores High School, which fell from an A to a B in a year, and the charter high school Key West Collegiate Academy, which fell to a C from a B, all district schools either improved or stayed the same.
Poinciana and Stanley Switlik elementary schools raised their Cs from 2016 to Bs in 2017. Key Largo School made an A after last year taking home a B. Key West High School and Marathon Middle High School both maintained Bs.
Gwen Filosa: @KeyWestGwen
Overall 2017 FLDOE Grade
Gerald Adams Elementary School B
Horace O’Bryant School B
Key Largo School A
Plantation Key School A
Poinciana Elementary School B
Stanley Switlik Elementary School B
Sugarloaf School A
Coral Shores High School B
Key West High School B
Marathon School B
Key West Montessori Charter School, Inc. A
Treasure Village Montessori Charter School A
Ocean Studies Charter A
Key West Collegiate C
Big Pine Academy A
Sigsbee Charter School A
This story was originally published June 30, 2017 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Keys school board approves drug testing."