High School Principal

School Board Meeting Activity

You have been in secondary education for over 25 years.After playing high school sports, you majored in education at a state university.Following graduation you took a job teaching at a small high school and were an assistant coach.After you completed your master's degree in school administration you became an assistant principle.You have been the principal at Hometown High for 10 years. As a former athlete and coach, you have always believed that high school sports are important co-curricular activities which help to develop leaders and to keep students at risk of dropping out in school.

The school district has seen an increase in the number of incidents and arrests of students involving illegal recreational drugs.The Hometown High School has been in the news repeatedly for problems involving high school athletes and drug usage you have forwarded the statistics to the school district office as requested.You have attended professional conferences and talked with other superintendents about their school district policies.You read professional newsletters that tell about recent court cases involving drug testing students so you are aware that sometimes the courts have ruled drug testing unconstitutional and other times have upheld school districts' drug testing policies and procedures.The pressure is mounting week by week.You have given your professional life to helping students and teachers but would like to retire without the uproar of another controversy.You have always been a team player and are loyal to the Superintendent.You have had differences with the athletic director before but have learned how to work well together.

You believe that the school's need to change the culture of drug use and to provide help for students who use drugs outweigh the concerns about the cost.Yet you hope the district pays rather than taking it out of the high school budget which has been tight for the past 2 years.You believe that athletes have always set the tone for other students.

You need to talk with the district employees to get district wide data before you meet with the press.You will let the superintendent do most of the speaking unless asked a question in the school board meeting.

Talking points:

• Need to get help for students who have a drug problem.
• Tight finances and need for taxpayer support
• Athletes as leaders in the school

Please give me some words for those talking points!