The biggest reason is cost, which varies among testing companies, he said.

Rennels and high school coaches estimated that steroids tests would cost between $55 and $90 per student.

"That's a large amount of money to test every student," Rennels said.

Coaches have instead learned to identify signs of steroid use among their athletes.

Common signs include sudden aggressive behavior, swelling of the forehead, acne on the chest and back, and increased blood pressure.

Broken Arrow: Broken Arrow High School has perhaps the most thorough school substance-abuse policy in the state, largely because steroids are included in its drug testing of students in grades eight to 12 who participate in activities, said Keith Isbell, the school district's chief communications officer.

The district also has an "under reasonable suspicion" policy that allows it to require drug testing of athletes. The criteria for suspicion of using steroids and other performance-enhancement drugs include unusual increase in size and strength.

Several Broken Arrow High School students were arrested in a June 2005 steroids sting that involved a coach at Webster High School in Tulsa.

The students were involved in bodybuilding, not in high school team sports.

No charges were filed against the students, whom police never identified. The coach, Scott Wayne Moody, later pleaded guilty to three felonies, including the unlawful delivery of anabolic steroids.

Jenks: Jenks High School requires a mandatory drug test at the start of the season for all of its more than 800 athletes, but the test does not detect steroids, Trimble said.

The district also requires athletes and their parents to sign a nine-page consent form that gives the district the right to test for steroids if coaches suspect their use.

Trimble has had three football players tested for steroids within the past five years.

"We had a couple of kids that I thought got big in a hurry and had the attitude to match," he said. "I had some concerns.

"Fortunately, they came back negative."

A first violation of the district's drug policy would bar the athlete from participating in sports and other secondary activities for 30 school days.

If an athlete tested positive again for steroids, an 18-week suspension would be imposed.

Trimble said that if public school funds ever became available to require mandatory testing for steroids, he would support it.

"Those drugs can kill people like any other drug," he said.

Tulsa: Travis Hill, the football coach and athletic director at East Central High School, started a substance-abuse program about eight years ago but soon abandoned it because of litigation issues.

Because East Central was the only school in the Tulsa district to have a drug-testing policy, parents could challenge the fairness and validity of any positive test, he said.

Today, if Hill suspects that an athlete is using steroids, he consults the student's parents and provides some form of counseling.

Even if he had significant evidence to believe that an athlete was using steroids, Hill would not conduct a test without the parents' permission, he said.

Union: Steve Dunlap, the athletic director at Union Public Schools, said his district also does not test for steroids or any other drug.

As with Tulsa Public Schools, Union officials believe that education is the key to preventing students from using any form of drugs.

"If a coach believes that they have somebody taking something, we would contact the parents and go from there," he said.

Bishop Kelley: Private schools may have more resources than public ones to test students for illegal drugs.

Bishop Kelley High School officials gave approval in February for the testing of all students for drugs, including marijuana, opiates and Ecstasy.

If reasonable suspicion exists that a student is under the influence of any other drug, a specific test for that drug can be performed.

David Schulte 581-8367
david.schulte@tulsaworld.com