CUMBERLAND COUNTY STUDIES SCHOOL DRUG TESTING

Testing Cumberland County athletes for marijuana and other drugs may deter
students from using drugs, say school officials and coaches who are
considering the move.

In March, a school board committee asked Fred McDaniel to review the
options and the costs of a drug testing program. McDaniel is the school
system's student activities director.

A committee of seven people, including principals, coaches and an athletic
director, has been exploring ways in which drug tests could work in
Cumberland County.

Many details and logistical issues need to be worked out, but committee
members hope to make a presentation to the school board's policy committee
next month.

McDaniel said coaches have approached him about the idea. They think the
prospect of drug tests would convince students "on the borderline" not to
try drugs.

"We know the hard-core kids who do drugs are going to do it," McDaniel
said. "There are a lot of kids who might be on the fence. This would be a
deterrent."

Expansion a possiblity

The program could be expanded to all students who participate in
extracurricular activities, but committee members said they initially are
focusing on athletes.

"We want to be proactive, not reactive," said Bob Paroli, football coach at
Douglas Byrd High. "The reality is we have a society of young people who
are prone to influences."

In March, school board members said that drug testing should include all
students involved in extracurricular activities, not just athletes.

"In our situation as coaches and athletic administrators, we have to
maintain a certain standard," McDaniel said. "We hold our athletes to that
standard. We let them know we're serious about this."

Only a handful of school systems in North Carolina are testing students for
drugs. Stanley, Gaston, Ashe and Northampton test athletes;
Winston-Salem/Forsyth randomly tests students who participate in
extracurricular activities.

Wake County has considered testing students, but school board members have
not approved a plan.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which opposes drug tests, represented
two students from Oklahoma in the most recent Supreme Court case on the
issue in 2002. The ACLU's Web site says drug testing policies deter
participation in extracurricular activities, violate Fourth Amendment
rights and foster mistrust between students and administrators.

According to the N.C. Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is conducted every
two years, 20 percent of North Carolina students said they had used
marijuana one or more times in the past 30 days. Forty percent said they
had tried marijuana at some point in their lives.

A small percentage of North Carolina students have tried cocaine or heroin,
but 13 percent have tried Ecstasy. The most recent survey was conducted in
2001.

The test being considered in Cumberland County would test for nine
categories of substances, including amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and
prescription pain relievers.

Tina Poltrock, principal of Seventy-First High, said drug education should
be included in any new policy. She is on the committee studying drug testing.

"There is a concern at every school when it comes to issues of drug abuse,"
Poltrock said. "I think that anything we can do to deter it is important,
and something we should be doing."

Que Tucker is the associate executive director at the N.C. High School
Athletic Association. She said school systems considering drug testing
should do a feasibility study before implementing a program.

She said the community and parents need to support the program. If a
student tests positive for drugs, the student will need that support, she said.

She said drug testing should begin only after other drug prevention
programs have been used.

"Is drug testing the way to go?" Tucker asked. "I believe it's the way to
go if you've exhausted drug prevention options and the problem persists.
And, if you're going to test all students involved in all extracurricular
activities. Then I feel it should be a good thing to do."

Drug testing should deter students from taking drugs, she said, but the
tests should not prevent students from getting involved in school activities.

"These kids need a place to be," she said. "One of their needs is to
belong. If they don't belong to our programs, they will find some other
place to belong."

Forsyth program

A drug testing program named "It's our call, It's my call" was implemented
in Winston-Salem/Forsyth schools in the 1998-99 school year. Since then,
the percentage of students testing positive for drugs has decreased.

Nancy Dixon is the program specialist for safe and caring schools for the
Winston-Salem/Forsyth school system. She said the school system tests up to
25 percent of students enrolled in the testing program at 10 unannounced
times during the year. About 65 to 75 percent of the county's high school
students are enrolled in the program.

The program came about after data showed that a high percentage of
first-time drug violators - 46 percent - were athletes or involved in
extracurricular activities, Dixon said. One of the county's high schools
started a voluntary testing program. The school board decided to expand it
to the county's 10 high schools.

"When role models are part of the program, that's a problem to us," Dixon
said. "Being that (participation) is a privilege, we expect them to be
positive role models of our schools. We expect them to be clean and sober."

When a student is tagged for testing, an outside agency notifies the
student and his or her parents only if the test is positive for drugs. The
company tests for all drugs, including steroids. If a student tests
positive, he is offered counseling with a medical review officer and
treatment, if needed.

The student will not face disciplinary measures and will be eligible to
participate in activities. If the student refuses the testing or the
treatment, the student is not eligible to participate in activities for 365
days.

The Cumberland County committee is considering similar disciplinary action
- - suspension from sports for 45 days or a season, depending on which is
greater. Students would be required to go through counseling, but they
might have to pay for it.

Junior Lajarsha Moses said she thinks drug testing should be in place so
that student athletes are aware of the health risks involved. Lajarsha
plays basketball and is on the track team at Seventy-First High.

"It would be harmful to their health if they do drugs," she said.

She said marijuana is the most used drug among teenagers. She said using
drugs could hinder an athlete's performance.

Jasmyn Phelps is also on the track team at Seventy-First High. She agrees
with Lajarsha but said she worries that drug testing might prevent students
from competing in school sports.

"I mean, it will be good to keep them from doing drugs," Jasmyn said. "But
there are a lot of people who do drugs that you might not know about. They
might be star athletes."

She said some students might choose drugs over sports to avoid getting
caught. She's not sure if the testing would stop regular drug users from
using drugs.

"It depends on the person," she said. "They drug test at jobs. It still
doesn't stop people from doing drugs."