Greenwood School District 52 Board Considers Random Drug Testing for Extracurricular Activities

More than 14% of all public and private middle and high schools conduct some type of drug testing, according to a CDC study. An Upstate school district is tossing about the idea of testing students who participate in extra-curricular activities or drive their car to school.

Debra Gorman is a mother of four, and she wants to know what her kids are up to. Gorman says, "Just as a parent, we would like to know if our kids our on drugs or not. We would like to know if they are putting it in their body that could harm them in any way." Gorman has no problem with a school district randomly drug testing students who participate in extra curricular activities. "I think that they should," she says.

Although administrators at Greenwood School District 52, home of Ninety Six High School, were not willing to go on camera about the issue at this time, Superintendent Mark Peterson confirms the school board is discussing the possibility of randomly drug testing students who participate in after-school activities or drive a car to school. We also contacted Greenwood School District 52 board members, but none of the emails were returned by airtime.

In 2002, by a margin of 5 to 4, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling permitting public school districts to drug test students participating in competitive, extracurricular activities, but the Drug Policy Alliance is an organization which opposes testing students. Jeanne Block, Youth Project Coordinator, tells News Channel 7 via email, "Although often done with the best of intentions, research shows that random student drug testing is counter-productive for many reasons. Perhaps the largest cost of suspicion-less drug testing is the erosion of trust between students and school personnel, which is the basis of all learning. "

Nineteen-year-old Michael Lane says he wrestled and played football in high school. He’s against the idea. He says, "I knew a lot of kids, when I went to high school, who did drugs and also played sports and the sports is what kept them going, and they just did drugs, I don't know why, and as soon as they started doing drug testing where I went to school and they stopped playing sports." However, Gorman believes it would help give student an excuse to keep clean. "There is a lot kids out there who don't say no because they're pressured, and with this, they have a voice and can say listen, you know if I do this, I can get caught,” says Gorman.

We asked Upstate school districts (via email) if they conduct random testing on students who participate in extra-curricular activities. Greenville County told us they test - if they suspect drug use. District spokesman Oby Lyles said, via email, “We have a district-wide extra-curricular code of conduct, which includes an option for follow-up drug testing if a student violates the substance abuse rule.”

Anderson District 1, Dr. Wayne Fowler, Superintendent: "We do not have random drug testing for athletes. We do not have plans to start random drug testing for student athletes."

Cherokee County School District, Dr. Bill James: "We do not drug test any students. We random test bus drivers."

Greenville School District, Oby Lyles, Spokesman: "We have a district-wide Extra-Curricular Code of Conduct, which includes an option for follow-up drug testing if a student violates the substance abuse rule..."

Spartanburg District 2, Rhonda Henderson, Spokesperson: "Spartanburg District Two currently does no random drug testing on students. Our bus drivers are subject to random (and following any accident) drug testing."

Spartanburg Co. School District 6, Cynthia T. Robinson, Director of Public Relations: "We do not conduct random drug testing on students. There has been no
discussion of having this type of testing in District Six."

D52 studying drug testing: http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2010/02/09/news/a0210%20d52.txt