DRUG TESTING

THE ISSUE

The Florence school board has adopted a drug testing policy for students
that could turn a young person's life around if administered correctly.

WE SUGGEST

Funding for the policy is still nebulous, creating concern that testing
will not be as effective as the board intends. Florence has adopted a
nearly comprehensive random drug testing policy for students that has the
potential to not only save lives, but cost a lot of money.

The policy covers any student involved in an extracurricular activity - not
just athletics - and any student who drives a car onto campus or parks a
car on campus.

A series of screening panels will be developed with the help of a
laboratory. The panels, which will include anabolic steroids, will change
every year to prevent students from getting familiar with the drugs being
screened.

Most school systems test only athletes. Florence has chosen to expand the
policy to a more representative cross section of the student body, which is
a realistic approach to identifying students with potentially
life-threatening substance abuse problems.

What is less realistic - at least as the policy stands now - is a lack of
funding for screening.

The board adopted the policy last week with the understanding that a
corporate benefactor will contribute an unspecified amount of money to the
school's support foundation. There is no money in this year's budget to get
the drug screening program off the ground.

More will be known about what the screenings will cost after the screening
panels are developed.

A few school systems in Alabama have scaled back or stopped drug screenings
because of the costs.

Russellville spends $13,000 a year for its program. Florence Superintendent
Kendy Behrends expects to spend double that amount when screenings reach
their peak.

If the screenings are to be effective, a significant number of tests must
be done. That means sufficient money must be available to conduct the tests.

One troubling aspect of the new policy is that anabolic steroids will not
be included in every screening panel. The steroids have been popular with
athletes for years as a body-building aid. Now, steroids have become
popular with nonathletes, as well.

Anabolic steroids pose not only short-term health risks, but risks that
show up later in life. The screening panels should include steroids every year.

The school board correctly recognized that drug screening is important for
all students, not just athletes. The challenge now for the board is to
fully fund and sustain the policy.

As always, school funding is a challenge in Alabama. But can a price be set
for the well-being of a child? This policy could turn a child's life
around, and that's good.