[September 09, 2011] Botetourt County schools to randomly test student athletes for drugs Tweet Sep 09, 2011 (The Roanoke Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Botetourt County School Board voted unanimously Thursday night to initiate a random drug testing policy for student athletes, a process anticipated to launch in the coming months for winter sports. The board opted to include random testing for performance enhancing drugs and steroids along with testing for alcohol, tobacco, controlled substances and their imitators and illegal drugs. The tests will require urine samples. A private vendor, described as a "third party administrator," will handle the sampling, testing and reporting. Two testing sessions will occur each sports season and about 10 percent of student athletes will end up being checked. If a student tests positive, the vendor will directly contact the parents or guardian to determine whether there might be extenuating circumstances. If test results are positive, the final, verified report will go to the school superintendent or his designee and then to the school principal. The policy holds that athletes will be eligible for testing once they are on the Middle School Team Roster List for middle schools and/or the Virginia High School League Master Eligibility list for high schools. A student who refuses random testing or tries to tamper with his or others' samples will be dropped from the team, absent extenuating circumstances. Botetourt County is the second school division in the Roanoke Valley to establish a random drug testing program for student athletes. In August 2010 the Salem School Board launched a two-year pilot program that applies to student athletes and other students who compete in competitive Virginia High School League extracurricular activities. Botetourt County School Superintendent Tony Brads said establishing a random drug testing program for athletes has "been a work in progress" for a few years. Its roots trace back to when the school division began conducting "Youth Risk Behavior Surveys" in 1998, asking students about their lives, habits and risky behaviors. "The bottom line is that the board's intention in doing this is protecting our students," Brads said. ___ (c)2011 The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.) Visit The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.) at www.roanoke.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]