All student-athletes at West Davidson High School will be subject to random drug tests under a pilot program approved by the Davidson County Board of Education Monday.
It's the first such program in the county. The program is expected to cost about $3,000 and will be paid for by West Davidson High School Athletics and the school's athletics booster club.
Principal Tabitha Broadway said the idea behind the program is not punishment but safety. She said she hopes the testing will serve as a deterrent to students and will enhance the safety of the sports programs by keeping athletes away from potentially dangerous drugs.
No one spoke in opposition to the pilot program.
School Board member Karen Craver asked why the testing applied only to athletes and not to students in other extracurricular activities such as band.
Broadway said it is because the booster club volunteered to pay for the program and its focus is on the athletics programs.
About one-third of the student body is involved in athletics, and the goal is to test 10 percent of athletes, with at least one member of every team tested.
The results of the tests will be confidential. If a student tests positive, he or she would not be allowed to participate on the team until they submitted a negative sample. An athlete submitting a second positive sample could face suspension from athletics ranging from 30 days to a year.
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