Pubdate: Mon, 10 May 2010
Source: Greenville News (SC)
Copyright: 2010 The Greenville News
Contact:  http://greenvillenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/877
Author: Ron Barnett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

GREENVILLE HAS NO PLANS TO SUBJECT STUDENT ATHLETES TO DRUG TESTS

Greenville County Schools would consider implementing a drug testing 
for student athletes "if a need is expressed and documented by the 
principal, school athletic director, coaches" and the community, 
spokesman Oby Lyles says.

Bill Utsey, director of athletics in Greenville County Schools, he 
thinks it would be well worth the $5,000 to $10,000 a year he 
estimates it would cost.

However, in a tight budget year, there hasn't been any community 
support for implementing such a program, he says.

"When our community says we've got a problem and we want to do 
something about it, that's when we'll come in and say, well, here's 
one thing we can do," Utsey told The Greenville News.

Spartanburg District 5, home of Byrnes High School and its powerhouse 
football program, is moving toward becoming one the few districts in 
the state testing student-athletes for drugs and alcohol.

A proposal to start such a program this fall was presented to the 
school board, said Bobby Bentley, athletic director and spokesman for 
the district. The school board is scheduled to vote on the policy May 24.

"I wouldn't say there was necessarily any particular problem, but 
over time, we began to see a need for it," he said.

Utsey said he knows of no drug or alcohol problems among the ranks of 
Greenville County's 8,000 athletes, but he thinks random testing 
would give the students another good reason to say no to peer pressure.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that students who participate in 
extracurricular activities at school can be subjected to drug tests, 
though individual students can't be targeted, according to Allen 
Smith, an attorney representing Spartanburg 5.

Under the proposed Spartanburg policy, student-athletes would be 
selected at random based on their student ID number and tested for 
marijuana, alcohol, opiates, cocaine, methamphetamines and possibly 
other substances, including steroids and other performance-enhancing 
drugs, he said.

The expense would be covered by gate receipts, Smith said. He 
wouldn't say how many tests would be administered or give an estimate 
of the cost but said it would be "thousands of dollars."

Students whose test comes back positive would be required to undergo 
12 weeks of counseling and be subjected to additional tests. If they 
refuse, they would be suspended for 90 days, Smith said.

A second positive test would result in ineligibility for athletic 
participation for 90 days and another 12 weeks of counseling. After 
the third offense, the student wouldn't be eligible for athletics for 
a full calendar year, he said.

Jerome Singleton, executive director of the South Carolina High 
School League, said his office doesn't monitor drug policies of 
schools and he doesn't know of any testing programs, but Smith said 
at least two other districts already have drug-testing programs.

Under league rules, students who are caught in the possession of or 
under the influence of alcohol "or any other mood-altering drug" or 
tobacco and steroids will be barred from the event where the offense 
occurred, and future eligibility would be "subject to review," Singleton said.

Parents questioned on the subject supported the idea.

"As a parent, I would be fine with my son being tested," said Tony 
McAbee, former president of the Byrnes Rebels Touchdown Club, whose 
son is a center for the football team.

The Rebels, who will be seeking their 10th state championship in 
football, have gained national attention with out-of-state games 
televised on ESPN and may be more able to afford a drug-testing 
program than some smaller schools.

"I applaud Spartanburg District 5 for stepping out there and being 
able to spend that kind of money," said Wren High athletic director 
Jeff Tate. "But I don't think we're as fortunate as they are to be 
able to spend money in that direction right now."

Wren, in Anderson District 1, had a drug-testing program for a few 
years when Jack King was the football coach, but it became 
cost-prohibitive, Tate said.

To establish a drug-testing program requires documenting a problem -- 
something the Greenville County district hasn't done, Utsey said,

Records obtained by The News from the Greenville Sheriff's Office 
show that during 2009, deputies made 255 arrests of school-age 
offenders on drug charges, 12 on drunkenness charges, 95 on liquor 
law violations, six DUIs and five charges of disturbing school 
involving alcohol.

Figures from the state Department of Education show 24 Greenville 
County students were expelled for drug distribution during the 
2008-09 school year -- nearly half of the statewide total of 54 
expulsions for drug distribution.

Rocky Thomason, whose son Drake plays baseball and football for 
Eastside High, said drug testing is already done in college and pro 
sports, and he would support a program for high school athletes.

"I think it can only help kids in the long run," he said. "If they've 
got a problem with something, hopefully they can catch it early 
enough and overcome it if it's an addiction."

Berea High ran a testing program for a few years about a decade ago, 
Utsey said, after coaches found in exit conferences with seniors that 
some players had been using drugs.

The school went through the process prescribed by the Supreme Court, 
which calls for first establishing that a drug problem exists in the 
community and getting support from the School Improvement Council, 
the booster club and parents.

The district now does random drug tests on school bus drivers, as 
required by state law, but not on other district employees, Utsey said.

With the district reeling from $47 million in state funding cuts over 
the past two years and preparing a budget for next year that's $30 
million leaner still, money is an issue, said Megan Hickerson, school 
board chairwoman.

"Certainly we are trying to hold onto programs as we can that are 
already in place, and money would be a factor," she said.She said she 
would need more information about it before she could take a position 
on whether drug testing should be implemented. "We have not had a 
discussion about any type of program like that to date," she said.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom