DISTRICT CONSIDERS RANDOM DRUG TESTS

Seneca Valley to Weigh New Policy For Athletes

When the new school year begins in the fall, Seneca Valley athletes may
have to take a test that has nothing to do with academics.

No pencils and papers will be needed -- just a cup and the urge to produce
proof that they haven't taken drugs or alcohol.

Even before two senior high school students were found in possession of
heroin and another was found with empty heroin bags in March, a district
task force was already considering ways to discourage drug use at the high
school.

Next week, the school board will consider adopting a tougher version of its
student athlete drug and alcohol policy to include extensive testing of
athletes at a cost to the district of about $19,000 per season.

According to Matt Franz of Sport Safe Testing Service Inc. -- a company
from Ohio which specializes in student drug testing -- urine specimens
would be collected from students and tested for substances including
alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines (Valium), cocaine,
marijuana, methadone and opiates.

And during a random testing of 15 athletes weekly throughout the school
year, one of those samples would be randomly tested for anabolic steroids
- -- muscle builders that can cause liver damage.

"The testing is not meant to be punitive academically," Franz told the
board at its monthly work session last week. "It's meant to function as a
deterrent."

According to senior high school Principal Matt McKinley, parents of
athletes would be expected to pay a fee of $26 for the first test -- per
athlete, per season, per sport.

McKinley proposed that booster programs and scholarships could help
low-income families pay for the initial testing. He said he also is
investigating whether any grants will help offset the cost to the district.
For about $360 per student, the district would get 15 random urinalysis
screenings each week for 40 weeks.

Franz said he's found that a "majority of districts cover the cost of
random testing," said Franz. "Some have the parents pay for the pre-season
test, and some schools pay for everything."

According to Sharon Fissel, director of policy services of the Pennsylvania
School Board Association, only about a couple dozen of the state's 501
school districts are testing students for drug use.

The Iroquois School District in Erie, which has 628 students in grades
7-12, pays for the cost of testing through grants, and the rest is covered
by the school board.

"We use a portion of our Safe and Drug-Free Schools grant, which originally
covered the cost, but the state has now decreased the amount of funding we
get," said Superintendent Joseph Buzanowski.

As for the testing policy, he said: "No question you lay yourself on the
line. We've had some of our best athletes not playing, but our district
believes in this program."

Audrey Zelanko of Cranberry is the mother of a Seneca Valley seventh-grade
basketball player who wants the district to be more proactive about student
drug use, but is not comfortable with aiming it at one group of students.

The additional cost also bothers her.

"I don't think it's fair to really burden us with an extra $26 to be guinea
pigs for the rest of the school. If it's a requirement for the school and
good for all students because we're a good example, we shouldn't be
burdened by the testing procedure and the financial cost."

Brenda Gunderson of Cranberry, whose son also is a seventh-grade basketball
player, said, "I have mixed feelings about it. I don't want drugs in the
school, and if it's going to keep them out, I'm all for it....But at the
same time, urine testing is getting personal, and $19,000 is a lot of money."

Dave McNichol, athletic director at Derry Area School District in
Westmoreland County, said that the cost of testing Derry's athletes is
covered by his department's yearly budget.

"It's a tougher thing to sell when you're asking parents for the initial
fee for testing. There will be that small group of parents who are upset
about violations of their constitutional rights, and they will be really
upset when they find out they have to pay for it."

Mill Creek School District in Erie leaves the decision of whether to test
up to the families themselves.

"This is not a school program, but the school is the facilitator," said
Superintendent Verel Salmon. "We wanted to give kids something they could
use as another tool to avoid drug use. Also, there's an incentive, because
if they participate, we will indicate that with a designation on their
transcript, and this is very popular with employers."

Seneca Valley board member Eileen Conners has proposed a similar incentive
program.

Board member Kenneth Brennan has said he'd eventually like to press for a
testing program for all students -- an idea that has support from the other
board members.

The process at Seneca Valley would work like this: If a student's urine
tests positive, a testing company official will contact the family to check
on legal medications the student may be taking.

If there are no legal medications, the school will be notified and the
building principal will schedule a meeting with the parent or guardian, the
student and the athletic director.

McKinley said he preferred a "three-strikes-you're-out" policy; but many
board members prefer permanent suspension from sports for students who fail
the testing twice during their high school careers.

"We're wrestling a large, fierce animal," said board member Robert Hill,
who wants to see immediate action taken against any student who tests
positive for drugs. "I fully support this policy, but I want more debate on
how many opportunities these students will get to turn themselves around."

The board is expected to vote at its meeting at 8 p.m. Monday at the
intermediate school auditorium, 126 Seneca School Road, Harmony.