SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES DRUG TESTING FOR ATHLETES

YONCALLA -- Higher than average use of alcohol and drugs by Yoncalla
High students has prompted the school board to consider drug testing
for its athletes.

A special meeting to discuss the issue with the public was held
Wednesday night.

The board had few specifics about what kind of testing it would do and
what the costs would be, but it's looking at testing because of the
results of the Oregon Healthy Teens Survey, according to board
Chairman Hop Jackson.

The 2006-07 survey, which was given to eighth- and 11th-graders,
showed that Yoncalla's students drink alcohol and use marijuana more
than the state average, and significantly more 11th-graders used
inhalants in the month before the test than the state average.

Carl Van Loon asked if the data was a good representation, since just
24 11th-graders and 28 eighth-graders completed the survey last year.

But board member Gene Vroman said that represents 52 students now in
high school, and the numbers are cause for concern.

No one in the audience disputed that drug and alcohol use is a problem
in Yoncalla, but there was disagreement about whether testing athletes
would help.

Several people said education programs, restoring a counseling
position and creating programs for students who don't play sports
would be a better use of money.

Tammy Pollack said she knows her children and is responsible for them.
But she doesn't believe the school has the right to give them drug
tests, and she would sue the district to protect her children's rights.

Parent Malinda Bash was also opposed to the idea.

"I don't think that this is just an athlete problem," Bash said. "I
think that it's a community problem."

Bash also questioned who would pay for the testing.

"To me, it seems like the money could be better spent on things that
these kids need," she said.

Bid Van Loon, who is Yoncalla's head softball coach and assistant
football coach, said he understood her point, but he thinks testing
isn't a bad idea. He was also an athlete in high school and is now a
parent.

He would prefer that all students are tested, but he said since drug
use can affect eligibility for athletes, singling them out isn't
inappropriate.

Several people suggested that all students undergo drug testing, but
the Supreme Court has ruled only that students in competitive
extracurricular activities may have mandatory testing.

In the end, however, Bid Van Loon said everyone attending the meeting
understood there was a problem that needed to be fixed, though they
might disagree on the solution.

That comment met applause from the audience.

The board didn't discuss the drug testing or make any decisions at the
meeting, but it did hear appeals from audience members to get more
information before proceeding.

Dr. Linn Goldberg, director of the Center for Health Promotion
Research at Oregon Health & Science University and a fellow of the
American College of Sports Medicine, questions the effectiveness of
drug testing to prevent drug use.

Goldberg said in a phone interview Wednesday that studies on drug
testing haven't been published, and a small pilot project he was
involved with was inconclusive.

"You don't know whether you're making things worse or making things
better," he said. "The way you do it is very important."

Inexpensive tests can be inaccurate, which defeats the purpose.
Samples have to be handled properly or the test can be invalidated,
too.

Goldberg compares drug testing to taking a medication that hasn't been
studied instead of one that's known to be effective.

"We know enough now about the study of drug prevention," he said.
"When people go to drug testing just on their own without a study, it
doesn't make sense."

Goldberg suggests schools identify the problems they want to target
and then look for a program that fits their needs.