California's Superintendent of Schools, Dwight Sanders, and Athletic Director, Rick Edwards, addressed a large crowd at the high school's Performing Arts Center regarding California's new drug testing policy involving student athletes. The school board approved the new policy Wednesday, July 15, effective in September.
The Pintos joined every school in the conference that drug tests Missouri State High School Activities Association sanction activities. The total cost will range from $3,000 to $5,000 annually according to Sanders.
"Occasionally, we'll have a young man or woman, at the high school specifically, make a poor choice," Sanders said during the presentation at the high school. "Their name might end up being broadcasted around the community, so we had patrons share their desire for drug testing. I think it's time."
Sanders cited five main reasons why they wanted to implement the policy: to ensure safety and health of the students, prevent substance abuse, provide opportunity for treatment, to make sure the athletes are playing on a level playing field and they wanted to provide a deterrent, allowing the students to say "no" to peer pressure.
Any student - grades nine through 12th - that participates in MSHSAA sanction sports will be put in the testing pool, as well as activities that include dance, pom, sideline cheerleading, speech and debate, scholar bowl and target shooting. Sanders and Edwards expects approximately 300 student athletes in the screening pool, drug testing more than half of those students throughout the school year.
"We talked about other student groups as well," Sanders said. "Some schools include drivers in their student pool. Other districts include co-curricular activities, but we really felt like we had a defined group by looking at MSHSAA sanction activities. So, that's how we determined that's the group we're going to look at."
California will use a 12-panel drug test, meaning it's a family of 12 different drugs such as marijuana, oxycodone and synthetic drugs.
"It's going to be confidential, it's going to be accurate, it's going to be random, it's going to look at a variety of drug families and it's going to be on-site here," Sanders said. "We chose the 12-panel because we felt it was the most inclusive of the panels that were available. It provided the best information to us to ensure that what we're providing is the best for students."
There won't be a defined schedule, and Sanders says that's intentional. The testing will begin in September and they'll test randomly throughout the school year.
"We anticipate we'll probably test, over the course of the year, upwards of 20 times," Sanders said.
A company out of Springfield, Employee Screening Services, was contracted to perform the testing. ESS works with many schools throughout Missouri, such as Blair Oaks and Jefferson City High School.
Each student in the testing pool will be identified as numbers in the ESS database, and when it's time for the testing, they'll provide those random numbers that are selected to the school. The school will match the numbers to the students and that's how they decide who's randomly tested for that particular testing date. School staff members can't modify the list, and alternative numbers will be provided in case the selected students are absent.
"A positive test result will not be reported to the police and it will not be part of the student's permanent record," Sanders said. "We'll maintain that information in house to serve as a way to keep track of offenses that the student has, but once they graduate from high school, that document will be shredded."
Guardians and parents will have the opportunity to provide additional information as to why the student tested positive, like a prescribed medication the student is taking.
If there is a positive test, a secondary test will be provided to validate the first test. No suspension will be carried out until that secondary test is concluded and the results are in. A refusal or a tampered with test will be deemed a positive result.
The first offense will result in a suspension of 20 percent of the activities they're participating in at that time or will be participating during the school year. If a student is participating in band and football at the same time, he or she will be suspended for both activities for 20 percent each. If there's only 10 percent of the football games left on schedule, that student will miss 10 percent of his or her's next activity, which could roll over to the next football season if that student isn't participating in other activities.
The student must attend all practices, but if he or she decides to attend the games, the student must sit in the stands.
"A student is going to be expected to continue to practice, be a part of the team," Sanders said. "At the end of their suspension, they'll be welcomed back. If they don't continue to be part of the team by practicing, then that suspension is not being taken care of."
The second offense will be a 50 percent suspension, and a third failed drug test is a suspension of 365 calendar days. A fourth will be an additional 365 days.
Also, it does not reset after every school year. The offenses will continue to move forward throughout a student's high school career.