athletes

to take

drug tests



By Alan Mauldin

alan.mauldin@gaflnews.com



MOULTRIE — School officials hope that drug testing for student-athletes will help those involved in sports “just say no” and produce a ripple effect throughout the system.

Colquitt County Board of Education approved the mandatory drug testing program for student athletes this week and it will begin when students return to school later this year.

Testing positive on a random drug sampling will carry no school disciplinary action or bring law enforcement into the picture, but students who use drugs will be banned from participating in athletic events for a specified time period.

“There’s a lot of peer pressure out there,” said Mike Singletary, Colquitt County High School athletic director and football coach. “Sometimes it’s hard just to say I don’t want to. This will give them a reason to say no. They can say, ‘If I get caught, I won’t get to play ball.'”

The testing will apply to all sports and cheerleading, and students participating in those events are subject to testing throughout the year, not just during the time that sport or activity is going on.

Singletary said he does not know if there is a drug abuse problem among athletes, although there have been rumors that there is one. Testing will reveal if there is actually a problem, he said.

“We haven’t had too many who have been caught,” Singletary said. “I want us to be drug-free.”

Singletary will meet with parents of football players and explain the procedure to them. Parents of participants in other sports also will meet with coaches to discuss the policy. Parents or guardians will be given a copy of the policy before tryouts for a team and must sign a statement indicating they and the student have received, read and understood the policy.

The first test is scheduled for the second or third week after school starts.

Under the policy, a student testing positive for drugs on a first offense will be suspended for the next four consecutive interscholastic events or the next four weeks of the season, whichever is greater. The penalty would carry over to the next season if necessary.

Before being reinstated to eligibility to participate in athletics, the student must receive an assessment or evaluation for chemical dependency and pass a drug test at the student’s expense. A positive re-test would constitute a second violation.

Penalties stiffen for subsequent violations, including permanent exclusion from athletics for a fourth violation.

The intent is not entirely punitive. Superintendent Leonard McCoy hopes to enlist businesses to help by offering discounts to student-athletes who remain drug-free. There are several reasons for the policy, which is similar to one McCoy established in Kentucky schools.

“The apparent thing, it enhances the opportunity of these high-visibility students to resist peer pressure,” McCoy said. “It’s also logic (that) the law of averages says we do have students who do use drugs. If they’re going to be on the field or the court and represent Colquitt County, this is another way to ensure they meet the highest standards.”

The school system also hopes that the message will filter to other students. Student-athletes can spread an anti-drug message, backed up by random testing that shows they also are walking the walk. The selection of who is tested and the testing process will be overseen by an independent entity, and urine will be tested for amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), benzodiazepine, barbiturates, methadone, methaqualone, LSD and alcohol.

“This affects a lot of our high school students,” McCoy said of the system’s athletes. “Oftentimes these are students who set the trend. If we can help these students, this will help other students. With these high-visibility students and random drug testing we can spin off for drug prevention programs for younger students.”

While McCoy said he feels that drug use among athletes is relatively low, it is a fact of life in Colquitt County as well as the entire state and nation as a whole.

“If we ca





n be of any help in combating that issue it is our ethical obligation to do so,” he said. “I feel quite confident, despite what some critics think, once the drug testing is implemented the positive incident rate will be very low.”



To contact reporter Alan Mauldin, please call 985-4545 ext. 226