JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The way high school students are drug tested may be changing, and it may start costing parents. This comes after some Florida parents started supplying high school students with performance enhancing chemicals.
Before the first football game of the season, there are talks of how schools may monitor student-athletes using performance enhancing drugs.
"Our goal is to protect our student athletes and the sport that they play," said Shelton Crews, of Florida Athletic Coaches Association.
If the changes take place, and there's a reasonable suspicion that a player is using performance enhancing drugs, a parent will have to pay for the drug test before the player is allowed back on the field.
Crews said coaches are supportive of the change.
"We support this mission of FHSAA," said Crews.
Student athletes say they too support drug testing to keep the game as fair as possible.
"If you're using drugs, and it's helping you play, it isn't fair for other people to go against you," said student-athlete Andre Thomas.
Many education associations remain tight lipped as they figure out what the changes will mean for schools.
The Florida High School Athletic Association said if a student-athlete is tested for the performance enhancing drugs, it may cost a parent up to $200. Players have mixed reaction on who should pay for tests.
When asked if parents should have to pay for it, student-athlete, Tylin Green, said, "Yes, because they're the parents."
"If the school wants to get tested for you, they should pay for it, I guess," Thomas said.
State lawmakers approved a test program six years ago to drug test athletes. It was later abandoned because of the price to state taxpayers.
The Florida Association of School Administrators said districts not only already have the authority to drug test students, but can have them pay for the test as well.