By Michael Quirk

michael.quirk@oxfordeagle.com

The Oxford School District school board met in regular session on Monday evening, with the board hearing a multitude of end-of-year reports.

One such report was that of the drug testing that occurred at the high school.

Between September 2015 and April 2016, 323 Oxford High School students were drug tested, almost doubling the previous year’s total of 176. Out of the 323, 194 are white students, 107 are black and 22 are listed as other. A total of six students tested positive, good for a 1.9 percentage rate.

“Our intention with the drug testing policy is to give reasons to say no and stay involved in the activities,” Superintendent Brian Harvey said.

Students who park on campus and participate in extracurricular activities are randomly selected for drug tests. Harvey discussed the repercussions of testing positive.

“If they fail a drug test, then they have to submit to counseling or be removed from the team,” he said. “If they’re compliant with the process, there’s no change for them. If they fail again, then well that’s in the policy.”

School improvements

Another report presented to the board was the capital improvement projects for the summer. There will be roofing repairs to both Oxford High School and Della Davidson Elementary, as well as HVAC, pipe and canopy repairs at the high school.

In other business at the meeting, Marion Barksdale and Gray Edmondson were unanimously elected by their peers as president and secretary, respectively. The board accepted a $700 grant from Walmart to Oxford Intermediate School for library books for English-language learning students. They also accepted donations of $1,000 from Lafayette Soil and Water Conservation to Oxford Elementary and $14,419.19 from the Oxford Intermediate School’s PTO for a scoreboard and bleachers in the school’s gym.

The board will meet June 7 to discuss the annual budget.