MAJORITY OF MARIETTA ATHLETES TAKE DRUG TESTS

A new drug testing policy in Marietta City Schools means there will be
at least a couple athletes choosing not to play a sport this year, but
school officials say most students are participating in testing.

Athletic Director Rick Guimond said three testing dates, two in July
and one this week, took care of the testing of the majority of students.

"We definitely had a large majority attend and participate," he said.
"We tested more than 300 kids in a little more than nine hours of testing."

Guimond said he has been told that some students won't play sports
because of the new policy.

"I've had a couple of parents tell me that they're not interested in
going this route," he said. "We have to respect that. It's their decision."

The testing policy was approved by the board of education in June and
could be expanded to students participating in other extracurricular
activities next year.

Marietta High School Principal Bill Lee has said he would also like to
see the testing eventually extend to all students who have a parking
permit at the school.

"That's a way to test as many kids as we can," he said.

The current policy applies to seventh-through 12th-grade athletes,
who will be tested once at the beginning of each season, with random
testing throughout the school year to follow.

Students must be tested prior to starting practice. Football and golf
practice began this week and other fall sports begin practice Monday,
but it's difficult to tell if there are students not practicing
because they haven't completed their drug test or required physical,
Guimond said.

"We're working from a spring signup sheet so that's not a definite
roster," he said.

There are no more mass testing dates scheduled but students can still
be tested at Marietta Memorial Hospital, Guimond said.

If students are tested late and miss practice, it's up to the coach
whether they can be part of the team, he said.

"It's the coach's prerogative," Guimond said. "It would be no
different than if they missed a week or two of practice at any time.
It might be OK, but if it's a team that has cuts and you come in two
weeks after cuts, that would be difficult."