GREENVILLE HAS NO PLANS TO SUBJECT STUDENT ATHLETES TO DRUG TESTS

Greenville County Schools would consider implementing a drug testing
for student athletes "if a need is expressed and documented by the
principal, school athletic director, coaches" and the community,
spokesman Oby Lyles says.

Bill Utsey, director of athletics in Greenville County Schools, he
thinks it would be well worth the $5,000 to $10,000 a year he
estimates it would cost.

However, in a tight budget year, there hasn't been any community
support for implementing such a program, he says.

"When our community says we've got a problem and we want to do
something about it, that's when we'll come in and say, well, here's
one thing we can do," Utsey told The Greenville News.

Spartanburg District 5, home of Byrnes High School and its powerhouse
football program, is moving toward becoming one the few districts in
the state testing student-athletes for drugs and alcohol.

A proposal to start such a program this fall was presented to the
school board, said Bobby Bentley, athletic director and spokesman for
the district. The school board is scheduled to vote on the policy May 24.

"I wouldn't say there was necessarily any particular problem, but
over time, we began to see a need for it," he said.

Utsey said he knows of no drug or alcohol problems among the ranks of
Greenville County's 8,000 athletes, but he thinks random testing
would give the students another good reason to say no to peer pressure.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that students who participate in
extracurricular activities at school can be subjected to drug tests,
though individual students can't be targeted, according to Allen
Smith, an attorney representing Spartanburg 5.

Under the proposed Spartanburg policy, student-athletes would be
selected at random based on their student ID number and tested for
marijuana, alcohol, opiates, cocaine, methamphetamines and possibly
other substances, including steroids and other performance-enhancing
drugs, he said.

The expense would be covered by gate receipts, Smith said. He
wouldn't say how many tests would be administered or give an estimate
of the cost but said it would be "thousands of dollars."

Students whose test comes back positive would be required to undergo
12 weeks of counseling and be subjected to additional tests. If they
refuse, they would be suspended for 90 days, Smith said.

A second positive test would result in ineligibility for athletic
participation for 90 days and another 12 weeks of counseling. After
the third offense, the student wouldn't be eligible for athletics for
a full calendar year, he said.

Jerome Singleton, executive director of the South Carolina High
School League, said his office doesn't monitor drug policies of
schools and he doesn't know of any testing programs, but Smith said
at least two other districts already have drug-testing programs.

Under league rules, students who are caught in the possession of or
under the influence of alcohol "or any other mood-altering drug" or
tobacco and steroids will be barred from the event where the offense
occurred, and future eligibility would be "subject to review," Singleton said.

Parents questioned on the subject supported the idea.

"As a parent, I would be fine with my son being tested," said Tony
McAbee, former president of the Byrnes Rebels Touchdown Club, whose
son is a center for the football team.

The Rebels, who will be seeking their 10th state championship in
football, have gained national attention with out-of-state games
televised on ESPN and may be more able to afford a drug-testing
program than some smaller schools.

"I applaud Spartanburg District 5 for stepping out there and being
able to spend that kind of money," said Wren High athletic director
Jeff Tate. "But I don't think we're as fortunate as they are to be
able to spend money in that direction right now."

Wren, in Anderson District 1, had a drug-testing program for a few
years when Jack King was the football coach, but it became
cost-prohibitive, Tate said.

To establish a drug-testing program requires documenting a problem --
something the Greenville County district hasn't done, Utsey said,

Records obtained by The News from the Greenville Sheriff's Office
show that during 2009, deputies made 255 arrests of school-age
offenders on drug charges, 12 on drunkenness charges, 95 on liquor
law violations, six DUIs and five charges of disturbing school
involving alcohol.

Figures from the state Department of Education show 24 Greenville
County students were expelled for drug distribution during the
2008-09 school year -- nearly half of the statewide total of 54
expulsions for drug distribution.

Rocky Thomason, whose son Drake plays baseball and football for
Eastside High, said drug testing is already done in college and pro
sports, and he would support a program for high school athletes.

"I think it can only help kids in the long run," he said. "If they've
got a problem with something, hopefully they can catch it early
enough and overcome it if it's an addiction."

Berea High ran a testing program for a few years about a decade ago,
Utsey said, after coaches found in exit conferences with seniors that
some players had been using drugs.

The school went through the process prescribed by the Supreme Court,
which calls for first establishing that a drug problem exists in the
community and getting support from the School Improvement Council,
the booster club and parents.

The district now does random drug tests on school bus drivers, as
required by state law, but not on other district employees, Utsey said.

With the district reeling from $47 million in state funding cuts over
the past two years and preparing a budget for next year that's $30
million leaner still, money is an issue, said Megan Hickerson, school
board chairwoman.

"Certainly we are trying to hold onto programs as we can that are
already in place, and money would be a factor," she said.She said she
would need more information about it before she could take a position
on whether drug testing should be implemented. "We have not had a
discussion about any type of program like that to date," she said.