Some Tift County public school students now subject to random drug screenings

By Angie Thompson/senior reporter

TIFTON — Students in grades 9-12 who attend Tift County public schools, and participate in extracurricular activities and those who park on campus will be subject to random drug screenings after the Tift County Board of Education approved the policy during its regular session Tuesday night.

The board began discussing drug testing of some students last November when Athletic Director Director Mike Collier submitted preliminary guidelines for the program after he, head football coach Jay Walls and Superintendent Patrick Atwater discussed their concerns that illegal drugs were being abused by athletes and other students. TCHS Principal Willie Miles and other faculty members also met with the group to draft the guidelines.

Administrators and members of the board said the testing is not to try to catch students but to try to help deter the use of illegal drugs by students.

A public forum was held for input on the implementation of the policy.

“Fifteen to 25 people showed up and there was very few people who disagreed with the idea,” Atwater said.

Collier said that an outside agency will administer the tests on campus and that those students who are randomly chosen will be tested at the end of the day and required to miss as little class time as possible. Also, those who are found to have abused illegal drugs will face no punitive damage and miss no school due to the positive tests results.

Up to 1,000 students at Tift County High School fit the criteria to be randomly tested twice each year, Collier said. As athletic coaches turn in their rosters, parents are notified that the random testing will be conducted. Also, parents of all students who participate in any “competitive interscholastic activities” aside from sports, such as civic clubs, and parents of all students who park on campus are notified and must sign a release for the testing for students to continue to be eligible to park on campus or participate in any extra-curricular activities.

The testing, by urine specimen, will be used to detect the student’s use of amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine and its derivatives, opiates and phencyclidine. If a student is taking physician-prescribed medication that would test as possible drug abuse, the student and parents are required to submit a form from the prescribing physician to verify the medication is one that was prescribed. The tests are administered by a testing laboratory and the school system’s health services coordinator will oversee the program.

The results of the drug tests are confidential and can’t be released without a subpoena issued by a judge.

The sanctions for a positive drug test are as follows:

• First violation: Students and his/her parents will meet with the principal and coach/sponsor. The student and parents will be required to attend a specified amount of counseling. The student will be subject to recurring drug tests, not random, during the remainder of the school year. Athletes will not be allowed to participate as set forth by the guidelines in the TCHS Athletic Handbook. Parking privileges will be suspended for 10 days beginning the day of the conference.

• Second violation: The same sanctions as above, but the suspension from activities and parking will be for 45 days.

• Third violation: The same sanctions as above, but suspension from activities and parking will be for one calendar year.

Students may also “self-report” to the school requesting help for drug-abuse problems, but they must do so prior to the implementation of the random testing. Those students will have access to substance abuse education and counseling and will be randomly screened, according to the guidelines.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.

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