Incumbents,
rivals choose sides on school drug
testing
Wednesday, April 05, 2006 • BY
KATHLEEN G. SUTCLIFFE • Star-Ledger
Staff
Candidates in Hackettstown's upcoming
school board race are divided over the issue of random drug
testing, with incumbents backing the program's expansion and
two challengers calling for its repeal.
In September 2004, the district began
random drug testing of high school students who park on
campus or participate in athletics or extracurricular
activities. The district hopes to expand the program next
school year by testing middle schoolers and increasing the
number of high school students who are randomly
tested.
Incumbents Ellen Beekman, Richard Burke
and Joseph Itkor and former board member Nancy Soleau all
say they support the district's proposal.
Challengers Michael Sedita and Damiano
"Damian" Fracasso ob ject to the program, saying it is
intrusive and sends the wrong message to
students.
Beekman, Burke, Sedita and Soleau are
vying for three, three- year terms in the April 18 school
election. Fracasso and Itkor are competing for one, two-year
unexpired term.
"Having government intruding into
children's life like that is wrong," Fracasso said of the
drug testing policy. "That's for the parents, not the
school, to decide."
Sedita agreed.
"I'm opposed philosophically," Sedita
said. "I don't think in a free society we should be taking
children, making them pee in a cup and testing their urine
unless there's a really good reason."
But the four other candidates say they're
convinced random drug testing is the right thing for the
district and that expanding the policy would be
beneficial.
"Frankly, if we can prevent drug use at
an early age, we're ahead of the game," Burke said, adding
he strongly supports random drug testing for middle school
students. "Maybe, I'm from the old school, but I'd just as
soon have it from kindergarten on up."
Beekman, the mother of a sophomore at
Hackettstown High School, said she has a firsthand ap
preciation of the policy.
"I supported it from the very beginning,
not only as a board member, but as a parent," Beek man said.
"I can't watch him (my son) 24 hours a day. If the school is
willing to keep an eye on him for me, I'm all for
it."
Beekman, 45, is running for her third
term on the board. A resident of Hackettstown for about 20
years, she has one son in the high school. She works as a
marketing representative for Sasco Insurance in
Hackettstown.
Burke, 49, has served on the board since
2004 and is running for a second term. A lifelong resident
of Hackettstown, she has three children: a son in
Hackettstown Middle School, a son in Hacketts town High
School and a daughter who graduated from the high school.
She works as an attorney in private practice in
Hackettstown.
Itkor, 40, was appointed in October to
fill a vacancy on the board, and is running for a seat on
the board for the third time. He is a band director at a
Newark high school, and holds a master's degree in school
administration. He has lived in Hackettstown for about 15
years and has two children -- a fourth-grader in
Hackettstown and one who will enter kindergarten next
year.
Fracasso, 30, is running for the board
for the first time. An attor ney with a private practice in
Mount Olive, he ran last year for a seat on the Warren
County board of freeholders. He has lived in Hackettstown
since 2001.
Sedita, 49, is making his second run for
a seat on the board. A 15-year Hackettstown resident, Se
dita owns a local computer software company, MS Health
Software, and also owns Arts Off Main, a new art gallery in
Hackettstown. His campaign Web site is www.can
didatemike.com. He has two children: one son who graduated
from the high school and a second who attended Hackettstown
public schools and graduated from Bayley Ellard in
Madison.
Soleau, 59, is running to regain a seat
on the board. She served on the panel from 1996 until 2003,
when she moved out of the area for one year. Prior to
moving, she had lived in Hackettstown since 1979. She is a
claims adjuster at AIG insurance and a real estate agent
with Century 21 North Warren. She has three children, all
graduates of Hackettstown High School.
Kathleen Sutcliffe covers Hack ettstown. She may be
reached at ksutcliffe@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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