Cyndi Loza

McQueen High School football players will undergo random drug tests this fall, after Washoe County school trustees unanimously approved a pilot program Tuesday.

“If it has the potential to help some kids, even one kid, then I’m all for it,” trustee Jody Ruggiero said.

Urine samples will be tested during the 15-week football season that begins Aug. 29. Each week, 12 players—seven varsity, three junior varsity and two freshmen—will be selected randomly for a test that screens for 14 drugs including alcohol, marijuana and anabolic steroids.

Each test by national testing company Sport Safe costs $37 and will be paid by the McQueen football program.

District officials will evaluate the program’s effectiveness and determine whether to expand it to other schools.

“I’m very excited that we can be proactive in taking the lead for random drug tests,” McQueen Coach Ken Dalton said after the vote.

Rebecca Gasca of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada spoke against the program and said she was disappointed.

“It’s a feel-good policy that hasn’t been shown to be effective,” Gasca said.

Some school board members said their support was strengthened because the McQueen community was behind it.

“The possibility of getting caught is a pretty good deterrent, as far as I’m concerned,” Trustee Dan Carne said. “I’d like to see us support the parents and coaches of McQueen who say they’d like to try this.”

Trustee Barbara Clark said she researched the topic and wasn’t convinced of the “effectiveness of random drug tests as a deterrent.”

She said it could provide a “false sense of security” and might prevent some students from participating in athletics.

“However, I’m going to vote for this because the majority of the staff, parents and students at McQueen indicated they want this,” she said.

She said she wants to see results and an equal level of support from other schools before supporting the program’s expansion.

Before the vote, district grant evaluator Ben Hayes said the program will be evaluated by surveying student athletes on drug use and attitudes about drugs before and after the start of the football season and again in May to help determine the program’s effectiveness.

All McQueen students will be surveyed to determine if the testing has a “spillover effect.” Galena High students will be surveyed as a control group.

District staff will collect data on the tests and football participation levels compared with the past three years.

Hayes said that any player testing positive would receive intervention within a week.

Players must adhere to their Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association contract, which prohibits the use or possession of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. A first violation results in a suspension of six competitive weeks of play. A second violation brings a 90-day suspension, a substance abuse evaluation and a substance abuse intervention program. A third violation makes them ineligible for the rest of their high school careers.