TRUSTEES HEAR FIRST-YEAR RESULTS OF DRUG TESTING

Nine Grapevine-Colleyville students tested positive for illegal drug use
during random drug screens over the past academic year.

Steve Trachier, the district's executive director of administration,
discussed the first year of Grapevine-Colleyville's drug testing practices
with trustees at Monday night's school board meeting.

Under the district's policy, students in school-sponsored extracurricular
activities are randomly tested for 11 substances, including alcohol,
marijuana, cocaine, amphetamine and opiates. The students are in activities
such as debate, choir, band and dance, and on athletic teams. Of the random
sample of students who were tested, another random sample was taken, and
those students were tested for steroids.

Throughout the last school year, 403 students were randomly tested for
illegal drugs. Of those, 59 students, or about 14.6 percent, were also
screened for steroids.

Fourteen students were registered as having "positive" results -- eight for
marijuana, one for cocaine and five students who refused to take the test,
which is recorded as a positive result. Students who test positive are
banned from extracurricular activities for 30 days and must attend
counseling sessions. A second offense warrants a 90-day suspension from
activities, and for a third positive test, students are suspended from
activities for the remainder of their enrollment in the district.

There were no positive results for anabolic steroids. The drug-testing
program was triggered by the revelation last year that nine Colleyville
Heritage High School students had used steroids during the spring of 2004.

A random drug screening costs $13.50 per student. It costs $115 more to add
the steroids test.

After Monday night's meeting, trustees said they believe that it was money
well-spent.

"It's a wonderful deterrent," trustee Lisa Hall said. "The students know
it's a possibility they can be tested and what can happen to them."

IN THE KNOW

School drug testing

403 students screened for illegal drug use

59 students screened for steroid use

8 students positive for marijuana

1 student positive for cocaine

5 students refused to be tested

0 students positive for steroids

SOURCE: Grapevine-Colleyville school district