MARION SCHOOL DISTRICT 1 GETS FUNDS FOR RANDOM DRUG TESTS

Marion School District 1 has become one of the 32 school districts in
the nation to receive funding through a three-year Safe and Drug Free
School and Community grant to implement a new mandatory, random and
suspicionless drug and alcohol policy.

Students in grades 7 through 12 who play any school-sponsored sport
are subject to random testing to help fight what Marion 1
Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Allread called a "significant community issue."

Allread said she is proud to be in a school district where people
have stepped forward to address this issue.

"I personally feel what we're doing is a tiny step in battling the
drug problem with our youth today," she said. "Our school board,
administrators, coaches, staff, parents and student athletes are to
be commended."

The school district will work with the Marion/Dillon County
Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse to carry out the new policy.

School district officials say the policy was created for three
reasons: to protect the health of student athletes; to negate peer
pressure by giving student athletes a reason to say no to drugs and
alcohol; and to identify and refer for treatment those student
athletes who test positive for drug use.

Considering the dangers and threats of student drug use, they hope
the drug policy will serve to deter inappropriate behaviors, Johnakin
Middle School Principal Patrice Davis Holmes said.

W.T. O'Connor, executive director of the Marion/Dillon County
Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, said this drug-testing program
places student athletes in a win-win situation.

"Our student athletes are highly visible and can be under significant
pressure," he said. "This is another tool which strengthens their
resolve in saying no."

Marion 1 athletic director and head football coach Marty McIntyre
said the program would be piloted this spring, with full
implementation beginning in the fall.

McIntyre said when a student takes a physical to participate in a
sport, he or she will be given a consent form to be tested.

Once all the names of student athletes are taken, ID numbers are
assigned to each name and those numbers are given to the commission.

He said someone from the commission could come on an unannounced day
to administer the test.

"This policy is just a way to show kids healthy lifestyles," he said.
"The dread of being tested could be a deterrent, and obviously that
deterrent factor is working."

McIntyre said officials presented the policy, which he said was
well-received, to junior and high school councils, faculties and other groups.

The policy requires the student athlete who has been selected by a
computerized program to provide a urine sample, which is sent to a
lab to test for the presence of certain substances that might
include, are not limited to, marijuana (THC), opiates, cocaine,
methamphetamines, phencyclidine (PCP), MDMA (Ecstasy) and/or any
other substance defined as a "controlled substance" by either state
or federal law. A Breathalyzer will be used to test for the presence
of alcohol.

If a student is found to have a positive drug test, the student will
undergo a drug and alcohol assessment and counseling sessions and be
suspended from the team.

For the first positive result, the student is declared ineligible for
a minimum of two weeks and must pass the next test before returning.

The student will be required to attend, but cannot play, all
practices and games during the suspension.

If the student tests positive a second time, he or she is dismissed
from the team and declared ineligible for the rest of that season and
the season immediately following. For the third offense, the student
athlete will not be allowed to play any and all sports for one calendar year.

Test results will have no effect on the student's academic standing.

Marion High School Principal Alfred McFadden said implementation of
this policy is an opportunity to offer support to the students who
might be tempted to make wrong choices.

"If its implementation saves or deters one student, it will be worth
the effort," he said. "Putting our students in a safe learning and
competitive environment continues to be our priority."