Pubdate: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 Source: CNN.com (US Web) Copyright: 2000 Cable News Network, Inc. Contact: http://cnn.com/feedback/ Website: http://www.cnn.com/ Forum: http://community.cnn.com/ SOME ALABAMA STUDENTS MUST PASS TOBACCO TEST TO PLAY SPORTS HOOVER, Alabama (CNN) -- Schools in a Birmingham, Alabama, suburb have begun testing student athletes for tobacco as well as alcohol and drugs. "It's a strong statement for us athletically to take a stand against the tobacco industry," said Rush Propst, head football coach at Hoover High School, the largest secondary school in Alabama. "I just don't think athletes need to smoke. I don't think any kids need to smoke," said the coach. A new government study indicates that smoking among high school students fell slightly last year and government analysts attributed the drop in part to prevention programs. Hoover quarterback Lance Rhodes admits some of his teammates smoke. "At our school, yes sir, there's a few that do, a few that have quit because we've set it straight at our school," said Rhodes. No Objections From Parents Or Students The testing is random, but officials say at least half the athletes in all sports will be tested -- and re-tested regularly if they fail. Students get three chances before punishment is imposed. When an athlete's urine sample tests positive for tobacco, officials will first notify the parents and tell the student to quit: A second positive test will land the student athlete in a tobacco education course, which will be followed by further testing. Officials in Hoover say at least half of the athletes in all sports will be tested for tobacco The third offense will get athletes suspended from one-quarter of their upcoming athletic contests. Hoover's policy stops short of a total ban on student smoking, but it's an incentive for athletes not to smoke. Middle school athletes will also be tested and school district officials say neither parents nor students have objected. "I'm very proud to be part of a community that agrees with this," said parent Rhonda Spanhour. ACLU Warns Against Setting Precedent The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 34.8 percent of high school students nationwide in 1999 reported they had smoked a cigarette in the previous 30 days. That was down from 36.4 percent in 1997 and the first overall decline since government's first such study, in 1991. Surgeon General David Satcher said the CDC study offers hope that teen smoking figures had peaked. But he said only 5 percent of American schools have adopted the CDC's guidelines for discouraging smoking. "Failure to effectively use every intervention strategy available to help our young people would be a tragic mistake," Satcher said in a statement last week. The federal government wants to cut teen smoking by half, to about 16 percent, by the year 2010. Hoover is not the first school to test students for tobacco. Students at some schools in Wisconsin and Virginia also face such tests. As for legal challenges to the testing policy at Hoover, Athletic Director Ron Swann said the courts are on their side. "If you participate in something after school hours, then you can pretty much put on them the rules that the community wants for you to have on that group of students," said Hoover Athletic Director Ron Swann. The American Civil Liberties Union concedes that as long as students and parents agree to the testing, it's probably legal, but thinks it could set a dangerous precedent. "Once Big Brother starts on the path towards chemical testing, who knows when that will end?" said Arthur Spitzer of the ACLU. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk