Pubdate: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS) Copyright: 2003 The Clarion-Ledger Contact: http://www.clarionledger.com/about/letters.html Website: http://www.clarionledger.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805 Author: Peggy Matthews Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL BE RANDOMLY SCREENING ATHLETES, MUSICIANS, SCHOLARS Mention random drug testing in school, and many envision a burly athlete having to give a urine sample. But a seventh-grade scholar? Under the Madison County School District's new random-drug-testing policy, the playing field is level for talented thinkers and musicians, as well as athletes. Any student in an extracurricular activity, be it choir or football or National Honor Society, is subject to testing. The goal is to discourage drug use across the board, Superintendent Mike Kent said. "We hope we don't catch anybody and that the threat of losing eligibility will inspire these kids and give them a reason to say 'no,' " he said. The policy, which applies to anyone in extracurricular activities in junior and senior high schools, takes effect when school opens Aug. 13. The district was one of the first in the state to approve a policy of testing students randomly, not just for suspicion of drug use. The Clinton School District has considered implementing such a policy, but Superintendent Tommye Henderson said she and the school board think the random testing policy has some drawbacks. "I feel like the policy singles out a group of students who have elected to go beyond academics. Right now, I don't believe it's a fair situation," Henderson said. One woman who will find out is Mary Lita Tigrett. Not only is she a parent of two high school students who may be selected for testing, she is also an eighth-grade teacher at Madison Middle School responsible for collecting drug-testing consent forms from the parents of about 200 seventh- and eighth-grade Beta Club members. Parents and students must sign the testing consent form before any child is allowed to participate in extracurricular activities. The policy affects roughly 3,000 students. Beta Club members are honor students whose only out-of-school activity is the annual spring Beta Club competition. "These are the kids least likely to do drugs," she said. Although Tigrett has some concerns about exactly how and by whom the policy will be implemented, she does support it and is not worried about her children being randomly tested. Julie Tigrett is a cheerleader, and David Tigrett is a band member at Madison Central. "I am not against it in any way," she said. "I think it will make students more responsible." Both younger Tigretts said they support the policy. "If you're doing that kind of stuff, it's bad. You should be punished if you get caught," David Tigrett said. Lacy Jacks, a junior at Madison Central High School, will be subject to random drug testing as a pitcher for the girls' softball team. "I think it's a good idea. I don't think you should have athletes doing drugs and playing sports at the same time," she said. "Most of my friends are fine with it, but we don't have a problem with drugs." The random drug testing policy may be controversial with some parents who fear false positive tests results - which are possible with use of prescription drugs - but not Susan Koen. "I'm all for it. ... There's a lot of drugs in the schools. It should have been done a long time ago," said Koen, who has a daughter at Madison Central High School. The federal Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled last year that schools could use random drug testing in extracurricular activities as a matter of "health and safety." The ACLU previously has opposed the policy, saying it is an ineffective way to fight drug addiction and has called into question the reliability of the tests. The tests will be administered by Corporate Health Services of the Baptist Medical Center. Renee Cotton, director of CHS, said students' names will be chosen at random by computer. Students are not visually monitored during the test. "We do everything in our power to ensure it is not degrading or uncomfortable," she said. If a child tests positive, the student and parents are notified before school personnel. Any student testing positive for an illegal or performance-enhancing drug, such as an anabolic steroid, will not be able to participate in school activities for 28 days, after which they will be retested. If clean, the student can continue to participate; if not, the student can be sent to Alternative School for a year. A student found in possession of illegal drugs is suspended for 10 days with the possibility of a one-year expulsion. "We are in great hopes this policy will be a deterrent to people to not make poor decisions," said Ronnie McGehee, assistant superintendent. McGehee said the district received "tons of positive feedback" from public informational meetings in conjunction with the new policy. "Of course, that's prior to somebody getting caught," he said. The cost is roughly $25 per test, with $20,000 set aside in the budget to cover costs. Students who refuse the test will be barred from extracurricular activities. Positive tests will not be turned over to law enforcement. Tests will be conducted at seven schools in the district, with some of the larger schools seeing monthly random tests. "My guess is before the month of August is over, we will have tested some kiddos," Kent said. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk