SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
915 Court Street Post Office Box 1599 Lynchburg, Virginia 24505-1599

TO:              Student Athletes and Parents of Student Athletes

FROM:          Al Coleman,  Supervisor for Secondary Education
Chip Berry, Athletic Director, E. C. Glass High School
Mark Storm, Athletic Director, Heritage High School

RE:              Student-Athlete Drug Testing

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of the Lynchburg City Schools' drug testing policy for student-athletes. The policy is designed not to be academically punitive but to assure the student's health while participating in athletics. We want the test to deter drug use and help students live drug-free lives. Please note the following key points of the program.

•    All screens include alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and PCP. If there is reasonable suspicion to believe
     that a student-athlete is using steroids, that student will be required to undergo a test to confirm or deny the suspicion.

•   All students will be team tested every season they participate. A student who plays both football and basketball will be team tested once with football and once with basketball.

•   The team tests will occur at a randomly selected time during the season. This increases the power of the team test as a deterrent to drug use. At some point during the season, all members of all teams will be team tested. With larger squads like football, the squads will be randomly divided so that the weekly tests can run as efficiently as possible.

•   5% of the pool of student-athletes will be selected for random tests each week. A random test will take place at each school approximately 30 times per year. All student-athletes not selected for a random team test will be eligible for selection for a random test.

•   Students will not be notified in advance of any drug test. Students will be called to the school testing site by a school official.

•   Students will remain under school supervision until an adequate sample (approximately 30ml) is provided. If a student has not provided a sample by the end of the student school day, then the student will be ineligible to participate until a negative sample is provided at the next random test.  Students will have access to their school materials.     

•   The cut-off level for marijuana is 50 ng/ml. This level is in compliance with Department of Transportation and National Institute for Drug Abuse standards.                            

•    Any sample registering below 92 degrees Fahrenheit will be rejected. Also, if the lab technician suspects tampering has occurred, the sample will be rejected and another sample must be provided. If tampering occurs in a direct attempt by the student not to comply with the policy, then the student will be dropped from the team in the absence of extenuating circumstance.

•    Students will be asked to empty their pockets and remove jackets before entering the bathroom.    ,

•   Positive Test Results

Positive test results will be cumulative over a student's high school career within the Lynchburg City School Division. In the event of a positive test result, the testing agency will notify the school division administrator in charge of the program. The following steps will then occur:

1.   The school division administrator will notify the respective athletic director.

2.   The athletic director will notify the parent/guardian, student, principal, and coach. The athletic director will advise the parents of the opportunity to respond to a positive test. The athletic director will schedule a meeting with the substance abuse educator, the parent/guardian, student, and student's physician, if requested, to develop a plan of assistance for the student.

3.   Progressive Actions Following Positive Test Results:                                                      

'    .?  '    '""

a.   First Positive Test Result

The athlete will be removed from physical participation in practice and competition until the following three criteria are met:

1.   A minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days has elapsed.
2.   Satisfactory completion of the plan of assistance is verified by the substance abuse educator
3.   The student is retested by the testing agency with a negative result.

The athlete may continue to attend team practices but will not dress out or participate. Any athlete who tests positive, receives substance abuse education, and is reinstated will be retested once a month for as long as he participates in interscholastic sports for the remainder of the school year.

b.   Second Positive Test Result

The athlete will be removed from physical participation in practice and competition for 365 days from the date of the positive test result registered by the testing laboratory. The student will become eligible for athletic participation following the 365 day period. Drug testing will resume on a monthly basis once the student resumes participation in athletics and is a member of an athletic team.

 c.   Third Positive Test Result                                

The athlete will be ineligible for participation in interscholastic athletics for the remainder of this high school career.

•    Other key components including meetings with parents and students, consent forms, non-compliance with the policy, procedures for positive test results, the right of appeal, the issue of confidentiality, and the relationship of this policy to the school discipline policy will be covered by the coach or athletic director during a preseason meeting.

•    To try-out for or participate on any school-sponsored athletic team, the student-athlete must sign a consent form by which the student agrees to participate in the drug testing program. The consent form must also be signed by the student's parent or guardian in advance of the try-out for a specific sport. The consent form will be valid for the current school year and must be renewed annually. If the student-athlete, his/her parents or guardians refuse to sign the consent form, the student will not be permitted to be a member of a team. Also, if during the season the student-athlete refuses to be tested or attempts to tamper with or assists others in tampering with the sample, the athlete will be dropped from the team in the absence of extenuating circumstances.

Complete drug testing policies may be found in the Policies and Regulations Manuals located in the individual schools or the administration building. If there are questions about this information or the drug testing program in general, please call either your school or the administration building.