Friday, September 28, 2007; Posted: 3:30 p.m. (CDT)
From the football players, to the cheerleaders and even the band. Athletes at some Mid-Del Schools could be drug tested at anytime without warning.
Kathy Dunn, the Mid-Del Schools Director of State and Federal Programs, says, "Anything that is a sanctioned activity by OSSAA, then they are subject to the random drug testing."
She goes on to say, "This is an idea that was born out of helping students and giving students a reason to say no."
It's the first time the program has been used at Mid-Del schools and the first round of testing was just completed.
The athletes names are placed in a computer program and they are randomly selected for testing.
Jackie Castleberry, the Safe and Drug Coordinator, says, "If it's a positive, then parents are notified it's a positive and what substance was identified.
If athletes are caught using drugs, they must provide written documentation of drug treatment within five days.
A second positive results in suspension from their sport for ten school days. The third time, students will be suspended from their extracurricular activity for one year.
"What we heard from parents, board members and our administrative team is they love and care about our kids," says Dunn. "They want to give them every opportunity to have the best life."
The random drug testing will occur on a monthly basis. All results will be kept confidential. Parents do have to sign a consent form for their child to take part in the drug testing program.
