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. [continues 965 words]
Programs Aim to Prepare Inmates for Life Outside and Keep Them From Coming Back Students in the Palmetto Unified School District in South Carolina have no Internet access, no PTA and no Friday night football. That's because their school is in a prison. Still, they have performed well enough behind bars to earn their school district an "Excellent" rating on the South Carolina Annual School Report Card each of the past five years. The Palmetto program is one of many across the USA increasingly turning to education to reduce the rate of recidivism and to give inmates hope for their future. [continues 662 words]
Eddie Young felt like he didn't fit in. He felt like "an alien." He was lonely and afraid. Crack cocaine took all that away. "It takes away all the pain, all the fear," he said. "It became my best friend." It took away more than that, though, the 38-year-old heavy machinery operator said during an interview at the Phoenix Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Greenville. He blew his life's savings, $24,000, in a one-month binge before hitting bottom last month - again. [continues 1129 words]
