Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jul 2013
Source: Vindicator, The (Youngstown, OH)
Copyright: 2013 The Vindicator
Contact:  http://www.vindy.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3298
Author: Emmalee C. Torisk

DRUG-TESTING OF ATHLETES TO START THIS FALL IN STRUTHERS

Beginning this fall, Struthers City Schools will implement mandatory
drug testing for all student athletes in grades seven through 12.

The board of education approved the drug-testing policy as an appendix
to the existing athletic department handbook at its regular meeting
Tuesday, which also functioned as an open forum for community members.

"It was a long conversation, but I'm very happy that the board took a
step forward," said schools Superintendent Joseph Nohra, who added
that the district will not incur any cost for the drug testing. "It's
for the health and well-being of our kids."

Under the new policy, all students involved with any athletic
extracurricular programs, including cheerleading, will be drug-tested
through the Toledo-based Great Lakes Biomedical within the first two
weeks of their respective seasons.

Following this initial test, student athletes will then be placed in a
pool for random testing, which will be done throughout the season.
This random pool could consist of up to 100 percent of a team's
eligible students, and a student could be tested more than once per
season, Nohra said.

If a positive, or non-negative, test occurs, the student will not be
penalized academically, nor will the results be documented in the
student's academic records. Instead, disciplinary action will follow
the athletic department handbook's current policies.

This mandatory testing requires the informed consent of both the
student and his or her parent or guardian, along with a $20 upfront
fee. If a student plays a second sport, he or she will pay an extra
$10, although playing a third sport will not warrant another fee.

"If you played eight sports after that, it would never exceed $30,"
said DJ Aldish, the district's school resource officer.

Nohra added that because participation in sports is optional, students
would not qualify for drug-testing fee waivers or reductions. However,
he said that financial hardships would be "screened through the
administration and coaching staff who would try to help" with the
cost, potentially through fundraising efforts.

Members of the district's drug-testing committee proposed the policy
for student athletes at a special board meeting in May, but had been
discussing the feasibility and cost of incorporating drug-testing into
the athletic program for almost seven months, Nohra said.

Michael Cox, a Youngstown police officer and Struthers resident, said
drug addiction isn't just a local problem, it's a national epidemic.
He doesn't know anybody who hasn't been negatively affected by drugs,
and said that implementing a drug-testing policy is "the best thing"
for the district.

"We're not trying to catch or punish a kid," he said. "We just want
the best for them."

Jody Evinsky, who attended the meeting with her daughter Emily, a
soon-to-be seventh-grader at Struthers Middle School, said she's glad
the district is "being proactive, rather than waiting for a tragedy to
occur."

Emily agreed, explaining that she wouldn't want to cheer or play
basketball with someone using drugs or alcohol.

"It's good," she said, referring to the policy. "If [a teammate]
drinks or gets high right before a game, it could affect the team -
and them."