STUDENTS TO DRUG CZAR: TESTS NOT THAT BAD

TAMPA - When Tampa Catholic High School announced it was starting
random drug testing of students this school year, there were a lot of
questions.

Tuesday, students told U.S. drug czar John P. Walters the new policy
is not as bad as they thought it might be, but noted any student
called to the office for any reason creates a buzz. Some students said
their privacy is being invaded.

"It's kind of there in the background," said senior Matt Dugger, "It's
always there."

A new state law adds to the pool of tested high school students,
requiring some high school athletes to be randomly tested.

At Tampa Catholic, 25 percent of its 800 students are expected to be
tested during the school year. Any student who tests positive will be
referred to substance abuse counseling, Principal Pat Landry said.

So far, there have been no positives, Landry said. She hopes it is a
sign that the test provides students an additional reason to say no to
drugs. Despite concerns from parents about privacy, every family
returned this year even though they must give permission for the drug
test.

Schools across the country that require random drug testing gain
parent support, said Walters, director of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy. He added, "Parents feel their concern about drugs is
now the accepted concern of the community."

True, said Ron Barcena, who supports the testing and has a 16-year-old
son who attends Tampa Catholic. "One of the hardest things is learning
to say 'no' without alienating themselves."

Some students will get caught, students predicted, before they realize
the test is for real. "A certain percent of people honestly don't
care," senior Marco Mendoza told Walters. "It takes getting caught
before they stop."

So far this year for Florida athletes, Florida High School Athletic
Association Commissioner John Stewart said last week, "All things
considered, we felt it went pretty well."

The tests started in October with 411 football players tested at 30
schools, he said. Not all results are in, but just one player tested
positive.

Here is how Stewart describes the process: A sample is divided into
two separate samples in case a second test is needed for verification.
Testing is done by the Center for Drug Free Sport and sent to labs at
the University of California at Los Angeles at a cost of $175 per
panel of tests.

Schools and students are chosen at random by the testing company. When
a school is chosen, 15 percent of athletes on its roster for the
particular sport are tested. School officials and parents have
requested the second sample be tested, he said.

The next sports to be tested for boys and girls are weightlifting,
baseball and softball.

Stewart said he expects all $100,000 the state allocated for testing
to be used this year.

He said a confirmed positive test suspends the student from the
athletic team for 90 days, during which he or she must attend a drug
education program.

In Hillsborough, four high schools were selected for football testing,
said Lanness Robinson, the district's director of middle and high
school athletics. They were Robinson, Newsome, Wharton and Brandon. No
positives were found, Robinson said.