Former Lynn councilor: Test teachers for drugs

LYNN – Paul Crowley said he became angry when he heard about a Lynn English High School teacher charged with distributing marijuana, and then he became frustrated when he learned teachers aren’t randomly drug tested.”I expressed concern among my circle of friends, and the question came up how could he get away with it if they were doing random drug testing and I was told there is no random drug testing,” Crowley told the School Committee at its most recent meeting.Crowley, a former Lynn city councilor, said his daughter was in an English class taught by Charles Saltzman, who was arrested Nov. 28 without incident in the principal’s office at the high school. In a prepared statement read to the School Committee last week Crowley called the lack of drug testing a safety issue.Parent Lori D’Amico heard Crowley’s speech and said she couldn’t agree more.”I don’t think there is anything more important than the safety of our children,” she said.The current policy is new permanent hires of teachers and paraprofessionals are drug tested but there is no annual testing. School Committee member Rick Starbard said anything beyond that, such as random testing, would have to be subject to contract negotiations.”That’s the only way,” he said. “We will have a policy subcommittee to discuss testing substitutes; that we can do something about.”Crowley said he believes the teacher’s contract will be up at the end of June but it irks him that the issue should have to be negotiated. He said the teachers will no doubt bargain for increased pay or benefits as a trade off for random drug testing.”How on earth can the teacher’s union have the right to trade the safety of our kids for wages?” he asked. “Collective bargaining rights are important to teachers and I understand that but the safety of our children should not ever be subject to collective bargaining.”Crowley said he respectfully asks the teacher’s union leadership to take a look at the issue.D’Amico echoed Crowley’s concerns, saying that the Lynn Public Schools should require random drug testing be done on all its employees and there should not be any negotiating on the issue.Starbard said “times being what they are maybe it’s something we have to look at.”Committee member John Ford said he too thought the time had come to put random drug testing on the table.”But I don’t necessarily think we should let this one issue be the reason,” he said. “I think we ought to take it a little slower.”Committee member Donna Coppola said she couldn’t support random drug testing but she wouldn’t rule out testing if there was a valid concern with a specific employee.Committee member Charlie Gallo said he has several concerns he’d like addressed before he makes a decision. His number one issue is cost.Gallo said he thought if there was an identifiable problem with school employees abusing drugs the School Department could justify the cost of random drug testing but he believes the Saltzman issue is an isolated case.He is also concerned that random drug testing sends the wrong message.”Our teachers and paraprofessionals do a good job every day, and because of one allegation, I don’t want them to feel suspect every time they walk into work.”His third concern centered on the accuracy of any drug test and how it would be administered.Like Gallo, Starbard said he doesn’t believe it’s a widespread issue but agrees that perhaps it is something the committee should be looking at.”I think we should look at everybody who is in charge with taking care of kids,” he said.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].