PASSING THE TEST

For Two County School Districts, Preventive Program Comes Up Positive

Since Shandon and Templeton middle schools and high schools began mandatory
random drug testing of student athletes in the last two years, student
attitudes have changed, school officials say.

Some have given up drug use, while a few have opted not to play sports.

And though the testing used to be discussed frequently, a few students
said, it is no longer a major topic. "It was kind of a big deal because
it's the first year, but now it's not," said Heather Eaton, a Templeton
senior involved in student government and a volleyball and softball player.
"I think it's worth it."

Shandon and Templeton are currently the only districts in the county to
require random drug testing. Shandon began its program nearly two years
ago, while Templeton started last fall.

Other districts are discussing such programs or re-evaluating their own
policies. San Luis Obispo High School, for example, is refining the
athletic contract that students and parents must sign, with hopes of
encouraging parents to cooperate with school officials if their children
use drugs or alcohol. It has not yet gone so far as to propose mandatory
testing.

Jerry Reynolds, football and baseball coach at Templeton High, believes all
schools should require such tests. Drug use is a reality, he said, and "the
bottom line is that we're trying to help the kids.

"I think it's necessary in every high school. Anybody who says they don't
have drugs at their school is not living in the 21st century."

Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that mandatory random drug
testing is legal, drug testing is not without opposition.

Hank Alberts, president of the San Luis Obispo chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union, objects, saying it is harsh and presumes guilt.
"It's taking a parental right away and giving it to the state."

When Templeton began its program, Alberts said he suggested that the
district adopt a voluntary drug-testing program instead.

Since the program began at Shandon High, only one student has tested
positive. That happened last school year and no such positive tests have
occurred this year.

Templeton administrators would not say whether anyone tested positive since
August, when their program began.

"We're hoping that no one would ever be caught. That means it was
preventative," said Teresa Taylor, Templeton High School dean of students.

"We've had a lot of kids say they quit so they could play."

Shandon

Shandon High School, now in its second year of implementing the tests, is
receiving mostly positive responses.

"(There's) still nothing but support - from parents, students and the
community," said Russ Edwards, teacher and head football and boys
basketball coach.

The drug testing program was spawned from Edwards' concern about students
using drugs and alcohol. The 96-student high school and surrounding
community then rallied together to make it happen.

"The parents were anxious to have this so they didn't have to worry about
their kids either," said Karen Donaghe, Shandon High School athletic director.

Donaghe said it's not the athletic performance that coaches are worried
about, it's how the students spend their free time. "We want them to live
through high school," she said, as opposed to getting killed in a car
accident while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The drug testing has built team camaraderie.

"They've banded together to say 'no,'" Edwards said. "For the boys, it's
never been a hassle. They knew from the beginning the reasons why we were
doing it. They appreciated that we were trying to help them."

Shandon seniors recently discussed the school's drug policy during a
government class seminar. Donaghe said the comments were honest and, for
the most part, positive.

Outside of classroom discussions, the culture and climate of the campus has
changed as well, and is evidenced in the students' conversations about drug
use, Edwards said.

"The attitude around campus is also night and day from when I first got
here three years ago," he said. "It's had a good effect on the school as a
whole. (Students) are motivated to be a part of the good program."

Shandon school board President Jay Palmer said it is likely the program
will extend to the next athletic year. "I believe that we will continue
with it as long as we feel a need for it exists."

Templeton

Templeton school board President Kim Holmes said it is likely drug testing
will continue in the district because it seems to be working as a deterrent.

However, Holmes said, the entire board needs to approve reinvesting the
funds in the program before it can continue.

Templeton's decision has been met with support from the students and
community, coach Reynolds said.

Student reactions range from understanding and indifference to protest.
"But the more they learn about it," Taylor said, "the more information they
have, the better they are about it."

Some of the students shrug off the testing as not that big of a deal.
Templeton senior class president and tennis player Lauren McNamee said it's
a good idea, though not foolproof. "I don't think it's accurate at all."

But the dean of students, Taylor, is quick to reject such rumors.

"When we talk to (students), we can dispel a lot of rumors," said Taylor,
who often talks one-on-one with students to explain the drug-testing
process. "I don't see how a kid could use and it not show up. But I won't
say it's 100 percent (accurate)."

Taylor also said drugs metabolize differently. Marijuana, for example, can
stay in the system for more than a month. Others can be used on a Saturday,
she said, and not show up if the student is tested on Wednesday.

Students also wouldn't realistically be able to smuggle in a clean urine
specimen - another rumor - because the tests are held randomly once a week
by lottery. Taylor said even she doesn't know when the tests will be
conducted.

There is some opposition among students to the testing, however. Templeton
high seniors McNamee and Eaton said students feel administrators shouldn't
be allowed to test for drugs. Others say it should go beyond athletics.

"I've heard a lot of uproar - if they're going to test sports, why not
clubs," McNamee said. "Some people think it should be all around."

Taylor said a year ago, when the initial decision was made, the school
board was interested in trying drug testing in other extracurricular
activities, but decided to limit it to athletics for the first year.

After this year, the program will be reviewed before being modified and
allowed to continue. Taylor also said the school will conduct a student,
parent and staff survey in the near future to evaluate the tests'
effectiveness.

Other county districts

Other districts have discussed but not implemented athletic drug testing
programs.

Costs, logistics and the premise itself contribute to decisions not to
start the programs.

Paso Robles, Atascadero and Arroyo Grande school officials said their
districts are not pursuing drug testing for athletes.

Administrators have discussed it for at least three years at Paso Robles
High School, but Principal Greig Welch said the district is not ready to
move any further.

Atascadero High School Principal James Stecher said it's not practical now
for the 1,800-student school.

Drug testing has been discussed for San Luis Coastal Unified School
District's high schools in San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, said Thom
Dimmitt, who is dean of students and athletic director at San Luis Obispo
High School.

"We've discussed it with the athletic department, but it goes way beyond
the athletic department," Dimmitt said. Such a proposition must be
presented to the school district and the school board, which has not
formally happened.

"If we feel like we need to move in that area, we'll be more aggressive."

He said the San Luis Obispo High School athletic department is refining the
contract the students and parents must sign. The contract states that if a
student-athlete is caught using drugs or alcohol, they will be suspended
from the team.

The old contract established a 30-day suspension for an athlete caught
using drugs or alcohol, whereas the new contract calls for a suspension for
10 percent of the sports season.

"Before, the parents wouldn't report to the school that their child was
involved in something (illegal) because they would be suspended for the
remainder of the athletic season," he said. "This way the students can
still be involved. We want to include kids. We don't want to exclude kids."

[sidebar 1]

The Cost Of Drug Testing

- - Shandon pays for the testing from the school district's budget.
Templeton's program is funded by a county grant.

- - Individual tests range from $6 to $11 each. Testing for blocking agents,
which are used to disguise drug use, costs a little more.

- - The cost this year for Templeton middle school and high school testing is
expected to be about $7,000, according to Teresa Taylor, dean of students
at the high school.

- - Roughly 200 tests have been administered since August, she said.

- - Costs have come down because technology is improving, said Karen Donaghe,
Shandon athletic director.

- - The drug-testing program is included in the school's budget. "The school
board set that up because it was important enough to them," Donaghe said.

[sidebar 2]

Shandon partents and students are required to sign a consent form before
the student participates in a sport.

All student athletes are tested at the start of their first sports season.
Students are assigned numbers, which are selected from a pool for random
testing. Every number is in the lottery at each drawing. Students who play
more than one season don't retake the mandatory test but remain in the pool
for random testing.

A student's refusal to take the test is treated as a positive verification.

When a test is positive, the urinalysis results are sent to a lab for
verification. After that, a drug test is mandatory for the rest of the
athletic year and is administered at least once every two weeks since
marijuana can remain in the system for up to 45 days.

After a positive result, test costs become the student's responsibility.

Students who test positive can continue practicing with the team, bu may
not compete until at least one-half of the regular season games have been
missed and the test results are clean.

If a student tests positive a second time, he or she is dismissed from the
team - except in the case of testing positive again for marijuana within 45
days.