School implements long-discussed measure for fall sports

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ST. IGNATIUS - Since last Monday, St. Ignatius activities director Alan Pule has administered a saliva-swab drug test to each student planning to participate in fall sports. Of the 65 tested, 65 have passed, Pule said.

It's a promising start for a program that superintendent Bob Lewandowski says is meant to support, not punish, students.

"We want students to make good choices and healthy choices and to promote their futures the best we possibly can," Lewandowski said.

According to the superintendent, the St. Ignatius BOE began preliminary discussions about mandatory drug testing several years ago but did not make it official school policy until January of this year.

The new policy stipulates that all student athletes must take a drug test at the start of each trimester and must submit to random drug testing throughout the sports season.

More specifically, Pule will test a randomly selected 10 percent of each team every other week.

The oral-fluid test that he administers on site can detect the presence of illegal drugs and is 98 percent accurate.

Failure of the drug test will not result in automatic dismissal, school policy states.

Rather, administrators and faculty will work with the student by meeting with his parents, offering him educational opportunities and holding him accountable with follow-up testing.

Lewandowski said he sees the new policy as similar to the academic requirements for athletic eligibility.

"Just like with academics, if you're failing ‘x' amount of classes, you don't get to participate," he said. "This is no different. It's the same concept but applied to illegal substances."

Mandatory drug testing has caused controversy in other high schools across the nation, but not so in Mission.

"Everyone is real ‘ok, sure, whatever,'" Pule said. "We've tried to make this as easy as possible for the students and families."

Some in the community are even supportive of the new measure.

"I knew a lot of kids who did drugs and were playing sports," a Mission junior said. "I'm glad they're doing the testing now."

The first year of mandatory drug-testing will cost St. Ignatius about $1,800, which they will draw from the activities fund.

According to Lewandowski, test records will only be kept on file as long as the student participates in the extra-curricular activity.