ATHLETES IN GENOA SCHOOLS FACE MANDATORY DRUG TESTS

GENOA - The Board of Education has voted unanimously to approve a policy
requiring mandatory drug tests for athletes attending the district's middle
and high schools.

The policy will be in place when classes begin in the fall for the Ottawa
County district, 15 miles southeast of Toledo.

"This is a good excuse for students of Genoa to just say no," said Leslie
Wyse, president of the school board. "I have not met one person from the
community against the policy; several people asked me what took us so long."

Athletes will have their urine tested at the beginning of the season, and
one-fifth will face random testing throughout the rest of the season.

The first time a student tests positive for drugs, the athlete will be
forced to sit out of games for at least 20 percent of the season, forfeit
any sports leadership positions, and take mandatory drug testing. A second
positive test bars the student from all district sports for a calendar
year. A third positive test will mean a permanent ban from all district sports.

The decision Tuesday comes after a two-year investigation by a committee of
Genoa parents and coaches, whose findings were presented to the board in
May. The decision by the board is simply an adoption of that committee's
findings, Genoa schools Superintendent Dennis Mock said.