Ala. university refuses to release drug-testing records of athletes

Jacksonville State University has refused The Anniston’s Star’s request  to release records related to its athletic department’s drug-testing program.

This refusal comes less than a year after the state attorney general’s office said coaches’ contracts are public records and compelled the university to hand them over to the Star.

Citing privacy concerns, the school argued that the records would expose the identities of student athletes who tested positive for illegal drugs. The school stuck with this argument even after the newspaper revised its request in an attempt to ensure student privacy. The paper is seeking the information to review the drug-testing program’s effectiveness, without a focus on individual student athletes.

The Star has also made informal requests for similar information at Auburn University and the University of Alabama. Auburn cited privacy grounds in its denial and Alabama has yet to respond.