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Prospect drops student drug testing School board suspends the program that was mandatory for athletes, because of its cost By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune PROSPECT - School board members this week officially said no to drug testing of student athletes. Superintendent Don Alexander said the board suspended the mandatory urinalysis program for a year in light of budget cutbacks. "We are going to develop some kind of an interim policy without the testing," he said. The district expects to pare $80,000 out of its $1.6 million budget next school year, and Alexander said this made it difficult to justify the $1,500 annual cost of the tests. Alexander and other board members say they will develop new rules and regulations that protect district interests without trampling student rights. He said Prospect schools will consider a policy in which a student must undergo counseling to stay on the team after a first offense, but would be off the team after a second offense. He is looking at drug and alcohol rules at other county districts, including Ashland, which is in the midst of revising its policy. Without the testing, Alexander said, the district has the problem of determining what is reasonable proof that an athlete might be using drugs. "It's a tough thing," he said. "At some point, somebody's got to be responsible for their actions." The urinalysis looks for marijuana, opium, hallucinogens and methamphetamines, but isn't able to detect recent use of alcohol, considered by school officials and students as the most popular drug of choice. With Prospect no longer testing, that leaves Butte Falls as the only district in Jackson County that requires student athletes to provide urine tests. Butte Falls faces budget cuts of $170,000 out of its $2.3 million budget but has no plans to end the drug testing program that costs $1,000 to $1,500 a year. Students at Butte Falls High School have denounced the tests, saying they are discriminatory, a violation of their rights and embarrassing. Butte Falls Superintendent Clay Dunlap said he will be closely following a U.S. Supreme Court case in which an Oklahoma student is suing because she maintains it is embarrassing to urinate in a bathroom while a teacher waits outside. Prospect board member Sam Mahoney said the decision to end the drug-testing policy in his district was unanimous. Mahoney said the current policy is questionable because it is conducted by school staff. "The bottom line is that none of us are licensed physicians," he said. The board will be working on a policy that protects the district while respecting a student's right to privacy, he added. "We need something fair for both sides," he said. "I think it is a very touchy area that has to balance with student rights." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.