Random drug budgets: school narcotic tests.

• Author: Feeney, Matthew
• Position: Citings - Brief article

WHEN STATE budget changes forced cuts to local education programs in Alabama, one of the first policies to go was random drug testing of students. But now Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon wants to bring back the policy, which would cost the city an estimated $75,000 to $80,000 a year per school.

In a town meeting covered by the Mobile Press Register, Kennon used combative rhetoric to frame the issue. "This is not hyperbole or over-dramatization," he said. "Times are scary. Our kids are under attack like they have never been before...