Gentlemen:

I think we all know that there has been a major brouhaha over the proposed return of random drug testing for high school athletes. The proposal was brought to you at your recent workshop/meeting with very little, if any, explanation as to why the program was being revised. There was some mumbling to the effect that the principals and athletic directors wanted the random testing.

This morning in his interview with Bill Becker on “Morning Magazine”, Superintendent Porter repeated that he and his staff had done a poor job explaining to you why they thought it was a good idea to resume random drug testing for high school athletes. You can read more about drug testing here to see why it is so important to carry out this drug testing. The best he could do for an explanation was to again mumble that the principals and the athletic directors wanted a resumption.

Well, sports fans, what’s the problem? If the resumption of random drug testing for high school athletes is something that the principals and athletic directors desire and you are not sure that it is desirable, why not invite the three principals and the three athletic directors to your next workshop/meeting and have them explain to you, the Board, why they believe that random drug testing of athletes is desirable, appropriate and necessary. Problem solved!

Quit beating around the bush or, as I like to observe, kicking the can down the road. Simply come to the point with the correct personnel and this silly argument can be brought to a close.

Larry Murray

PS: Invite Superintendent Porter to weigh in should he have any explanatory observations to make beyond vacuous statements about principals and athletic directors.