MORE SCHOOLS EYE DRUG POLICIES

The Petal School District picked athlete Patrick Ezell to submit to drug
tests 10 times while he was in high school.

"I really don't mind because I have nothing to worry about," he said. "And I
think the testing is a good thing because the possibility of getting tested
may prevent a student from doing drugs in the first place."

The Petal district tests all its athletes and cheerleaders - something it
has been doing for the past 10 years, said Superintendent James Hutto.

"We feel that having drug testing acts as a deterrent for our students," he
said. "The whole idea is not to try and catch students doing something
wrong, but to act as a way to prevent them from using drugs in the first
place."

The drug test - a standard urine test that screens for a variety of drugs,
is administered at the beginning of the athletic season and randomly
throughout the school year, Hutto said.

On Tuesday, the Petal and Laurel school boards decided to take drug testing
further.

Beginning in the fall, students in those districts who participate in band,
show choir or other extracurricular activities will face random drug tests.

"We all felt it was only fair to include all students who are involved in
any extracurricular activities," said Glenn McGee, superintendent of the
Laurel district. "We have tested our athletes on a random basis for a couple
of years and felt it was only fair to include other students who are
competing too."

Nationally, about 5 percent of schools require drug tests for athletes. Only
2 percent test students in extracurricular activities.

Ennis Proctor, executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities
Association, said he thinks the number of districts that drug test students
will increase because the costs for testing have gone down.

"It used to cost over $100 for a district to test each student. Now it
ranges from about $20 to $30," he said.

While the association does not require student athletes to be tested for
drugs, even on a random basis, it does support drug testing overall.

"I think it's a great way of preventing drug use," he said. "It's also a way
to help kids who might need some sort of intervention."

Hutto said few tests have come back positive for drugs in the five years
he's been at the Petal district.

"I'd estimate and say under five," he said.

In the Pine Belt, four school districts have drug testing policies.

Petal and Laurel are the only districts to test athletes and students in
extra curricular activities. The Columbia School District has tested all its
athletes for several years, and Covington County began testing its athletes
and cheerleaders last school year.

"The testing worked out very well," said Ike Sanford, superintendent of the
Covington district. "Usually when you are in the first year of something,
there are some glitches, but I was pleased with how smoothly everything
ran."

"The most important reason why we decided to do it was for the safety of our
students," said Sanford, who has allotted about $4,000 of his 2003-04 budget
for random drug testing. "It also allows us to help our students if they
need it."

Heads of other school districts say drug testing may soon begin.

Kyle Nobles, superintendent of the Forrest County Agricultural High School
District, said he is drafting a drug testing policy similar to Petal's.

"It would involve testing all extracurricular students," he said. "Those
students should be held to a higher standard because they are representing
the entire school. I hope to have a policy up for board approval in the next
few months."

The Hattiesburg Public School District is also considering a drug testing
policy, said Cheyenne Trussell, athletic director.

"We are strictly in the beginning phases of discussion and we will more than
likely have a committee formed to discuss it, " he said. "I would be in
favor of it as long as there is an intervention procedure in place. I would
be against it if the testing was only being done to identify those who are
using drugs and not have a program available to help them with their
problem."

Lamar County Superintendent Glenn Swan said drug testing athletes has not
been discussed in the four years he's been superintendent.

"It's my understanding that the school board addressed this issue years ago
and decided not to do it," he said. "I don't think it's a bad idea, there
just has not been any talk about it since I've been here."

Opponents of student drug testing, including the American Civil Liberties
Union, argue it violates constitutional privacy protections.

In June 2002 the U.S. Supreme Court said public schools across the nation
could begin random drug-testing procedures on a wide variety of children,
including those who participate in extra-curricular activities. Schools were
allowed to test athletes in a prior ruling.

"Every available study demonstrates that the single best way to prevent drug
use among students is to engage them in extra-curricular activities," said
Graham Boyd, director of the ACLU's Drug Policy Litigation Project, in a
press release after the June 2002 decision. "The Court has now endorsed
school policies setting up barriers to these positive activities, which is
dangerous both for the Constitution and safety of America's children."

The Tupelo School District was one of Mississippi's first districts to
implement a drug test policy for athletes about 15 years ago. The district
tests all of its athletes once at the beginning of the year, and randomly
throughout the rest of the year.

"We feel it is a very successful policy," said Mac Curlee, principal at
Tupelo High School. "The reason why is because it is not designed as a
gotcha policy, but as a way to help our students and give them another
opportunity to say no to any sort of drug use."

Phil Ferguson, head football coach and assistant athletic director at Tupelo
High School, said the drug testing helps students more than it hurts them.

"Having the possibility of being tested in the back of their minds may
prevent the student from succumbing to peer pressure," said Ferguson, who
said the district paid $28 per drug test last school year. "It's simply
another option for them to say no."