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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom