HALL COUNTY DRUG POLICY IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

It Is A Measure Of Protection.

The new drug policy for athletes in the Hall County School System is a
proactive approach to protecting high school sports and those who
participate.

It's a long overdue move and one the community should applaud.

Beginning with the forthcoming football, volleyball, softball and
cross country seasons in the fall, athletes in Hall must submit to
mandatory drug testing. Student-athletes will be tested by the
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Toxicology Lab at random and will be
tested for a wide variety of illicit drugs.

Young people are confronted with the pressure to use drugs from all
angles. Drug arrests of pro and college sports stars have become
commonplace. Away from the ballfield, parents are frequently allowing
their children to be put on legal drugs to solve simple behavioral
problems such as not paying attention in school or sadness.

Why does every 8-year-old need Prozac?

The answer is that society in general has gradually become more
accepting of the practice of using drugs, both for medicinal and
recreational purposes, thus blurring the line between what is
acceptable and what isn't.

And because high school athletes are, well, high schoolers, the
possibility of being wrongly influenced by what is seen and heard
looms large.

This policy will serve to combat that influence and teaches a
real-life lesson: There are consequences for your actions off the
field, even if you shine on it.

Some would argue that the consequences for the first offense,
suspension from 10 percent of a team's games, are too light.

What the district did in this situation is commendable in that it went
with the premise that we have good kids playing sports in Hall County,
but that sometimes even the best kids make mistakes.

We shouldn't crucify, but rather rehabilitate high school students,
who naturally do stupid things sometimes. That's a very
forward-thinking and fair approach.

Others would argue that the policy unfairly singles out athletes, by
holding them to a higher standard than normal students.

Well, they should be.

I'd like to think of myself as not being old-school, but perhaps I am.
To me, it was a privilege to wear the uniform with my school colors on
it and represent my classmates and community in athletic
competition.

It wasn't something I acquired by divine right. You had to follow team
rules or you did not play -- and one of those rules was "Don't do drugs."

We don't have a drug problem on our athletic teams in Hall County.

This is merely a measure being taken to deal with an ever-expanding,
rapidly growing, increasingly diverse student-athlete population and
the pressures that society can put on it.

Remember that sports are an outlet for kids to escape some of these
pressures. The two worlds just don't mix.

Hopefully, Hall County's new policy will help it to stay that way.

[Sidebar] Hall County Schools Athletic Drug Policy Procedures

1. The student-athlete must present to the head coach a signed consent
form, which authorizes the school to administer drug testing and
allows the results of the test to be released to parents or guardians,
administrative officials and the head coach. Parents and students do
not have the option of not participating in the drug screen program.

2. Random testing will take place at any time during the season with
student athletes chosen through lottery/random selection. The
substances that will be tested include: amphetamines, barbiturates,
cocaine, opiates and propoxyphene. Testing consists of providing a
urine sample to those representatives of the firm administering the
test. School personnel will supervise, but not administer the test.
Privacy of the students and confidentiality of the test results will
be protected. Specimens will be processed for identity and secured
against tampering. Test results will be reported to the school through
the proper chain of command. In case of a positive result, the parent
or guardian will be notified.

3. A form must be filled out by the student athlete delineating any
medication that he or she is taking.

Consequences

First positive: The parents or guardians and the student-athlete will
be notified. A student's refusal to test will be considered a positive
test result. The student athlete will be banned for 10 percent of the
team's scheduled games for the season (excluding practice scrimmages)
beginning with the next scheduled contest(s). The student-athlete may
remain a part of the team and will be expected to participate in team
practices or conditioning sessions. The student-athlete and parents
must provide evidence of enrollment in a drug-counseling program
approved by the principal. The student-athlete also must agree to
another drug test within a time-frame recommended by the Northeast
Georgia Toxicology Lab at the family's expense (cost will be
approximately $25).

Second positive: The parents or guardians and the athlete will be
notified. The student-athlete will be suspended from the team at the
time of notification. A meeting will be scheduled with the parents or
guardians, the student-athlete, the principal, the head coach and the
athletics director to arrange the following:

Agree to participation in a drug treatment or counseling program on a
regular basis, for a minimum of four weeks. Parents or guardians are
expected to participate in the program.

Sign an agreement that releases the Hall County Board of Education
from any liability for injury or illness resulting from drugs and/or
treatment.

Apply for reinstatement to the team after a minimum of four weeks if
the following provisions are met: (a) provide a negative drug screen
to school administration; (b) agree to continue with drug counseling;
(c) agree to be subjected to future tests on demand; (d) understand
that the application for reinstatement may be denied. The principal,
head coach and athletics director will decide on reinstatement. Third
positive: A third positive screen will result in suspension from all
interscholastic athletics for one calendar year from date of result.
Parents or guardians and student-athlete will be notified immediately.
Continued counseling and treatment during the year of suspension is
expected with periodic testing at family's expense. Reinstatement
procedures will remain constant, meaning the athlete will have to go
through the reinstatement process.

Appeal

In the event the student-athlete believes this policy has not been
applied to him/her in a manner consistent with the intent, the parents
or guardians may appeal the decision to the principal of their school
within 72 hours of a positive test result, and the principal's
decision in this matter shall be final. The procedure is intended to
supplement the existing policies of the Hall County Board of Education
and the Georgia High School Association regarding the governance of
interscholastic athletics. Administrators shall not use test results
obtained pursuant to this policy for disciplinary or other purposes,
other than as set forth above. All student-athletes remain subject to
the Hall County Board of Education Student Code of Conduct and may be
subjected to established discipline procedures if found in possession
or under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol at school or at
school-sponsored events.