MCCOMB TO BEGIN DRUG TESTING

Athletic Director Says Students Will Be Randomly Tested For Drugs

McComb High School Athletic Director Ted Milton spent about an hour
Monday evening fielding questions from inquisitive parents about the
school district's new drug testing policy.

The McComb High School Parent Teacher Student Association invited
Milton to field questions that varied from policy objectives to
implementation to enforcement and discipline.

"We've worked hard in getting this policy put together," Milton told
an audience of about 50 people. "It's totally confidential. No one in
the school, including teachers and other students, will know test
results of a child."

Milton said the 15-page policy, currently being used in other schools
and upheld by the Mississippi Supreme Court, will be given to coaches.
Random testing of students will begin in about two weeks.

Students in seventh grade through high school who participate in
extracurricular activities could be subject to random drug testing,
Milton said.

Students targeted for testing include those participating in
extracurricular activities from band to baseball to football to drama
club.

"If a student tests positive for an illegal drug, they are suspended
for two weeks from that activity and then will be tested again in
seven days," Milton said. "We do not want to put a young person on the
athletic field with illegal drugs in their system."

Milton stressed that students will not be suspended from school for a
positive test, just the activity. He also said all coaches at the high
school will be tested as well.

"Education is a right," he said. "Sport is a privilege."

Some questions from the audience dealt with the testing of students
not in extracurricular activities, the random selection process of
students, confidentiality and repeat violators.

Milton said the school district policy does not include random drug
testing of the general student body, only those students involved in
extracurricular activities. Parents may, however, sign a waiver to
have the district drug test their child.

Students will also be selected for testing at random, not by a
particular sport, and assigned a number - like a lottery selection
process.

Milton said when a student is taken out of an activity,
confidentiality will be hard to contain, but stressed the
administration will not release test results to the public.

"Yeah, if the starting quarterback is told he can't play Friday and
he's not injured, then yeah, people may know. But it could also be for
other behavior, such as classroom conduct, too," Milton said.

According to the policy, students will regularly be tested for
amphetamines, cannabinoids (marijuana) and cocaine. Students may also
be tested for steroids, MDMA (ecstasy) and inhalants.

An initial violation carries an automatic two-week suspension from the
activity. A second violation carries a suspension from the activity
for the remainder of the school year.

A student that is violation a third time will be suspended from the
activity one full calendar year. A fourth violation carries permanent
suspension from the activity.

Students who do test positive will be offered on-campus counseling by
the school.

Milton stressed, however, that the random selection process for drug
testing throughout the school year may miss some students and staff.

"We try to test everyone from coaches to the bus driver," he said. "I
got tested four times last year. One coach didn't get tested at all.
Didn't have his number selected. It's random. We have enough money to
do 900 tests."

According to the policy, students in activities may be tested during
the start of the program and will be required to submit to screening
whenever a coach, assistant coach or school official suspects a
student may be under the influence of drugs.

"We don't have a rampant drug problem in our school," Milton said. "We
do have a small number though ... we have students informing us of
other students using. They want to deter it. We want to deter it.

"A child using marijuana is not going to perform well on the football
field, baseball field, band or classroom. We're trying to save kids,
not penalize them."

A copy of the drug testing policy is available to parents at the
school. Call 684-5678 for more information.