Student steroid law lacks teeth, By: Frank DeFrank

Educators say testing of high school athletes unlikely to increase

June 28, 2006

A new state law that prohibits Michigan high school athletes from using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs is unlikely to lead to widespread drug testing of student athletes, officials said Tuesday.

Drafted in the wake of revelations about steroid use among high-profile professional athletes and increased use among high school athletes, the law, authored by state Rep. Daniel Acciavatti, R-Chesterfield Township, went into effect Monday.

It requires Michigan school districts to amend athletic policies to indicate that the use of performance-enhancing drugs would impact the eligibility of student-athletes.

"The state must do everything possible to combat the mixed message that Michigan's student athletes are currently getting from high-profile professional athletes," Acciavatti said in a statement announcing implementation of the law.

"Steroid use is not a ticket to the Super Bowl or World Series; taking these drugs will affect your long-term health and quality of life."

The law also requires state health officials to distribute to schools lists of performance-enhancing substances.

But the law does not require nor provide funds for drug testing, the only way to determine steroid use, nor does it specify what penalties violators would face.

Richard Repicky, superintendent of Fraser Public Schools and formerly the district's athletic director, and Robert Giles, Mount Clemens athletic director, said the law, while well-intentioned, is fraught with uncertainties.

"I don't see Fraser Public Schools going to mass drug-testing of its athletes," Repicky said. "That would be ... the implementation of a program looking for a needle in haystack."

While acknowledging that educators are "concerned" about high school students using steroids, tests to ferret out violators is impractical, Giles said.

"How do you pay for it?" he said. "It can get to be pretty expensive depending on what you test for. The more you test for, the more expensive it gets.

"The legislators want to do something about it, but they don't want to pay for it."

Giles also said the law raises questions about privacy as well as other legal issues.

"If you get into litigation, (lawmakers) aren't going to come to your aid," he said.

Repicky likened the steroid legislation to other efforts to "specify" what schools already practice. For example, he said, schools have long had policies against assaultive behavior, but that doesn't deter lawmakers from drafting anti-bullying laws.

"Maybe today's society is calling for more specificity," Repicky said. "We better spell out exactly what we've doing all along."

But Acciavatti said the existence of the law will raise awareness.

"It will take a concerted effort to turn some of our young athletes away from the temptation of steroid use," he said. "Having a law on the books that specifically prohibits these drugs is a major step forward in raising awareness about the dangers of steroid use."