KEEP DRUG TESTS FOR THE ATHLETES

I feel compelled to respond to your March 27 editorial, "Schools should
drop drug tests for athletes." In the piece, you stated that drug use among
high school athletes isn't rampant. You asserted that statistics would say
it isn't, and then declined to cite those statistics. A couple of
paragraphs later, you quoted a substance abuse professional who said,
"Substance use is running rampant in the schools," suggesting we should
spend more money on helping the entire student body. So is it rampant or
is it not rampant? When I graduated from high school in 1979, drug use was
a significant problem in my middle class Houston suburb. That included many
student athletes I played beside. To think that drug use isn't a
significant problem in 2005 in Central Virginia is naive at best. I think
reasonable people on both sides of the issue can agree on that.

An argument was made that what we really needed to do was test all
extracurricular students and not just athletes, thus rendering our current
system unfair. I think it's important to point out that we require more of
our student athletes academically than the general population of the school
as well. Only athletes are required to pass five classes each semester to
stay eligible for extracurricular activities. I'm sure none among us would
want to remove those academic standards. They are in place for the good of
this particular group of students. How is drug testing different?

So then it all comes down to the issue of money. I am a teacher who very
much feels that our education professionals in Lynchburg need and deserve
more adequate salaries. Your editorial states that because we've had only
six positive tests in four years, the program (which costs a little more
than one teacher's salary) is unnecessary. Unfortunately, none of us have
the statistics showing how many student/athletes decided to eliminate drugs
from their lifestyle in order to wear their school's uniform.

And I'm sorry, but the fact that we are only one of three districts in the
state with such a program does nothing to condemn our efforts. The right
road is usually the one less populated. Ms. Flaugher asked, "How do you put
a price tag on a life?" It's a provocative question, and one that hasn't
yet been answered.

Dan Stephens, Lynchburg