HOLDENVILLE TAKING TIME ON DRUG TESTS

HOLDENVILLE - A desire to implement a drug testing program properly
led school administrators to propose starting it early next year
instead of before the beginning of football season this year, the high
school principal said. The Holdenville School Board adopted the drug
testing policy this month. Initial testing on about 340 seventh-
through 12th-grade district students involved in extracurricular
activities will start in early January, high school Principal Jeff
Colclasure said. Random testing will be conducted for the remainder of
this school term.

"Yeah, I've heard that one," Colclasure said about some people's claim
that testing was delayed so it wouldn't affect the football season.
"But that isn't what affected our timing. When you put a policy like
this in place, you want to make sure everything is covered thoroughly
and that you have the best possible policy you can.

"It had nothing to do with our football season."

The Holdenville Wolverines play Kansas, OK, in the second round of the
Class 2A state football playoffs Saturday.

Holdenville's adoption of the testing policy marks the latest move by
several school districts to begin testing athletes, musicians and
other students participating in extracurricular activities.

Every student planning to participate in an extracurricular activity
will have to take an initial drug screening test before the start of
each school year. As the school year continues, any students
participating in those activities can be selected for random testing.

The first time students fail a drug test, they will be required to sit
out 20 percent of the scheduled events during a season and to complete
four hours of substance abuse education.

Failing a second time will result in suspension from extracurricular
activities for the remainder of the year.

Colclasure said he and the school system's athletics director based
Holdenville's testing program on ones in McAlester and Tecumseh.

He said the system will affect many students year-round because they
most often participate in multiple extracurricular activities.