Granite Falls approves athletes drug tests

Board passes policy for random testing in 199798 only
By Luci Chavez, Herald Writer

Student athletes in the Granite Falls School District will face
random drug testing during the 199798 school year.
That won't alleviate community concern voiced at Thursday's
regular meeting of the Granite Falls School Board. But the policy
goes forward anyway beginning with the fall sports season.
The fivemember school board passed the policy, which will apply
to all student athletes in the district, by a vote of 41.
The policy will be in effect for the 199798 school year only.
The district plan calls for administering 125 tests throughout the
year on a random basis among the 250 students who take part in
athletics.
The district proposal calls for a drugscreening procedure that
would cover 11 drugs and alcohol at a cost of $18.50 per test.
Students testing positive for illegal drugs would not be
suspended. They would be referred to the school's alcohol and drug
counselor and would be barred from competing against other
schools for a month.
Granite Falls chose to narrow the drugtesting policy to student
athletes based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision that says school
boards can require drug tests for athletes. The Supreme Court ruling
did not address other student activities.
School board member John Morrison said limiting the policy for a
single school year was a necessary compromise.
"That was the only way it would have passed because everyone
was so uncomfortable (with how the policy would work)," Morrison
said.
Lynette Howard, who voted in favor of the policy, said: "I thought
about it a lot. I listened to kids and parents, and kids really wanted
this. I just heard someone say earlier that the kids trust us to do this
because it's the right thing to do."
Board Bob Quarterman was the lone dissenting vote. He said he
did not want to set a time frame for the policy.
"The board can stop a policy any time it wants," Quarterman said.
"I thought we should adopt it as written (without setting a timeline)."
Quarterman said his main concern was how the board would
gauge the effectiveness of the policy at the end of the school year.
Superintendent Gary Wall said he was comfortable with the
direction in which the issue is headed after the vote.
"This to me is a natural step from where we started in March (of
1996)," he said. Wall was instrumental in getting the policy this far
after parents raised concerns over drug use in the schools.
"I'm happy that the board looked at it for a long time. They made
their decision based on what's best for the kids," Wall said.
Parent Bill Bayly raised the question of whether the tests were
costeffective for the small number of positive results that would be
returned.
Another parent wondered whether the tests would keep students
from participating in sports in the first place.
John Venture, who runs a nonprofit arcade in Granite Falls, said:
"I'm involved deeply in the clique that you're looking for. I agree with
drug testing No. 1, but I think there's a bigger problem with drugs,
and I think education is more effective. You talk about athletes and
that is fine, but you're going to miss some."
And Steve Abel, also a parent, said: "We're not raising sheep,
cows or fish. I thought you guys were educators. You wash your
hands of kids.
"If educators teach kids to be responsible, if they teach that kids
don't have to do what their friends do, that's your job. My wife and I
are being brought down to the level of parents who aren't doing their
jobs.
Herald Writer Eric Stevick contributed to this report.