Local ADs have varying opinions on drug testing

~ While most high school athletic directors agree testing is a good idea, they differ more on the degree of state involvement.

While a Missouri Senate committee debates legislation which would require school districts to begin randomly testing students for steroids, local school administrators share conflicting views over whether this bill should be approved.

Some believe that testing student-athletes is a good idea, but they also expressed concerns about funding and being forced to take part in the testing by the state.

Approximately 2 percent of 12th grade students in 2007 admitted to using steroids in their lifetime, according to the "Monitoring the Future" survey by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The survey also reveals that 1.4 percent of 12 graders admitted to using steroids in the past year, while 1 percent admitted to using these drugs in the past month.

"Me personally, I think drug testing for steroids and all types of drugs would be good [for] high school," Central athletic director Mark Ruark said. "The problem is that how are you going to pay for the drug testing? I think that's always been the question.

"There has to be a funding source if public schools are going to undertake drug testing of any type. So I think if you solve that problem on where the money is going to come from, I wouldn't limit it to just testing for steroids. I would test for all different types of drugs."

While he said he has no first-hand knowledge that any local high school athletes are using steroids, Ruark expressed the logic that because it is happening at other levels, it likely is occurring at the high school level as well. He said Central speaks to athletes through health classes about the ill side-effects of performance enhancing drugs.

Ruark said he does not think there is anything now preventing a local school district from instituting a drug testing policy for steroids or any other drugs. But he added if a bill was passed by the state requiring testing, then he thinks the state would become responsible for the funding.

"When you start talking about public education particularly, the funds are stretched so thin as it is that I think the state would if they pass legislation that would require random drug testing, have to allot or set aside or create a tax or some funding source at the state level to send to schools to cover the cost."

Sen. Matt Bartle, who proposed the bill, plans to fund testing through charging higher prices for Missouri high school postseason events, according to the Associated Press.

Jackson athletic director John Martin declined to give his full opinion, But he did say that he thinks random drug testing for steroids could be "around the corner." He said he would concur with whatever was decided upon and has no opinion on whether the testing would be good or bad.

Chaffee athletic director Terry Glenzy said he has no idea whether performance-enhancing drugs are a real issue in high school sports. He said Chaffee did have a case several years ago, but the school put a stop to it and he has not seen any steroid use in the current program. He added the he could not speak for other local schools, but would be naive to think it was not being done.

Glenzy thinks random testing is a good idea but didn't think it should be a state mandate.

"I think it should be left locally," Glenzy said. "I don't see why it would be required by the state. I think this is a local issue. Each district should decide. I think schools should retain local control to run their athletic programs and their schools as they please."

Ruark took the opposite stance.

"I think something like that would need to be across the board," Ruark said. "I think you could certainly see the problems if some schools did and some schools don't. I just think it would be better if it was across the board -- that all schools were doing it. I certainly believe in local control of school districts, but the state mandates a lot of things for us educationally."