Athletes Tested

DRUG SCREENINGS FIND ONLY TWO STUDENT POSITIVES

LAKELAND -- After 561 tests and $40,000 in expenses, only two Polk County
high school athletes have tested positive for drug use.

And school officials couldn't be happier.

"The objective of the program isn't to catch kids on drugs," said Ed Boos,
supervisor of prevention, health and wellness at the School District's Mark
Wilcox Center. "The objective is to be a deterrent -- to prevent kids from
using drugs."

Don Bridges, director of athletics for Polk Schools, said that at first
sight, it may look like the drug-testing program is a waste of money. But
he said the low number of students testing positive actually indicates the
program is keeping kids off drugs.

"And if it's preventive, that's what it's supposed to do," he said.

Boos said the two students caught tested positive for marijuana. He said
that more often, students who test positive are male. However, he said
these two students were both female.

He said tests detected amphetamines in four students. But he said when the
medical review officer investigated the matter, the students all had valid
prescriptions for the drugs. He said often times medications for Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD), such as Ritalin, will register as amphetamines.

Students who test positive for recreational drugs are offered the chance to
go to the Mark Wilcox Center for at least a 10-day assessment. And provided
they follow the recommendations of the center, which could include drug
counseling, they can return to sports. If they choose not to, they are not
allowed to participate in sports.

Boos said he's been very pleased with how well the testing has been received.

"The schools were really cooperative," he said. ". . . It went much
smoother than I anticipated."

The tests were performed at random this spring at seven high schools --
Bartow, Fort Meade, Frostproof, George Jenkins, Kathleen, Auburndale and
Lake Region. Students tested were participating in spring football,
baseball, softball, track, tennis and weight lifting.

"We do it during the school day," Bridges said. "It wouldn't disrupt the
athletics because we test them first thing in the morning."

Bridges said overall, he's not hearing any outrage or distress about the
testing program.

"No parents called me," he said. "No coaches called me complaining that it
disrupted their season."

Next year, Boos said the drug testing program will be in full swing with
all 15 schools, including Santa Fe Catholic High School. He said the
district plans to test about 40 percent of all athletes, which comes out to
about 4,000 students per year.

And the drug program may still be expanding beyond just recreational drugs
and into steroids. The original federal grant was for $236,000. Because the
district didn't use all its money for this year, it would like to roll the
funds over to pay for steroid tests next year. School officials have
submitted the plan to the federal government and are awaiting permission.

Boos said the district could have between $90,000 and $180,000 for steroid
testing over the next two years. He said a company has agreed to provide
the tests at $110 each. He said using those figures, the district could
test between 5 percent and 10 percent of all athletes (200 to 400) for
steroids per year.

"We really want to do that," he said. "We're just waiting on the response."