CIAC takes a revised approach to steroids, By: Steve Barlow

08/06/07 

Texas and Florida, two hotbeds of high school football, will begin to test high school athletes for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs this fall. They join New Jersey, which last year became the first state in the country to require testing on a limited scale.

Connecticut has mostly watched as other states have grown more aggressive, but it has taken steps recently to deal with the issue.

The CIAC, which oversees high school sports in the state, approved a new policy this spring that imposes a 180-school-day suspension from participation in all sports on any athlete caught using performance-enhancing drugs.

The policy, created in conjunction with the state's school superintendents and school boards, covers all chemicals prohibited by the NCAA and U.S. Olympic Committee, including anabolic steroids, amphetamines and growth hormones.