KFDM COOP Posted January 22, 2008 Report Posted January 22, 2008 Vendor chosen for drug testing in high schools AUSTIN – As expected, state leaders chose the National Center For Drug Free Sport Tuesday to test high school student athletes for steroid use. Testing will start within weeks and will involve between 40,000-50,000 student-athletes by the end of the 2008-09 school year, said Kim Rogers, spokeswoman for the University Interscholastic League, which governs Texas public school sports. The Kansas City, Mo-based National Center for Drug Free Sport is the largest drug testing company in the country. The company has contracts with the NCAA, many universities and also with the states of New Jersey and Florida, which have smaller-scale steroid testing programs in place for high school athletes. Frank Uryasz, formerly director of sports sciences for the National Collegiate Athletic Association, formed the company in 1999. Drug Free spokesman Daniel Regan referred all questions to the UIL’s Rogers. "We are not going to reveal the first testing date in order to keep an element of surprise," Rogers said. "All we can say is that it will be within the next few weeks." State lawmakers mandated the random testing program for anabolic steroid use start during the current school year. It will cost about $3 million a year and is considered the largest steroid testing program of its kind in the world. Student-athletes with a first-time positive test result for steroids will be sidelined from competition for 30 days. A second positive test would result in a one-year suspension. Any student-athlete returning from a suspension must take a pass a follow-up steroid test before returning to competition. The state would pay for the exit test after the first suspension, but the student would have to pay for any additional test, estimated to cost between $100 and $200. Schools will get between 24 and 48 hours notice before crews arrive to begin the random testing process. Medical exemptions will be granted to students who can substantiate a medical need for a steroid prescription from a physician. Without a medical exception, it would take three positive test results from a student’s urine sample before a student athlete would be penalized.
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