US High School To Conduct Drug Testing of Students

Contents

• Growing Concern for the Welfare of Students
• Drug Culture Exerting Pressure on Students
• Changing Patterns of Drug Use Among Young People
• Do Schools Have the Right to Implement Drug Testing Policies?
• It Is up to Individual Schools
• No Clear Indication of Reduced Substance-Abuse Rates
• Badin High School’s Concern About Student Wellness
• Random Drug Testing in Schools

In the United States, a Catholic high school in Ohio announced in 2019 that all students would be tested for drugs and nicotine on an annual basis, commencing January 2020.

At the time, one expert advised that it’s not yet clear whether these policies have resulted in lower rates of substance abuse. Administrators at the Ohio High School advised parents that this program has been shaped in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for over a period of two years. The plan is to test students at least once a year for alcohol, illicit drugs, nicotine, and other banned substances, with the letter being very clear that there will be no maximum placed on the number of times a student might be tested.

Badin High School’s current student handbook continues to include a Drug, Alcohol and Nicotine Policy covering controlled substances, alcohol, nicotine and electronic vaping products.

Growing Concern for the Welfare of Students

At the time, education professionals were increasingly concerned at the growing trend of students being taken out of school for either taking or selling illegal drugs. According to the letter, the administrators were hoping that drug testing will encourage students not to take drugs, adding that the community of Ohio is not immune to the issue of drug taking in young people and that this problem had a serious impact on students, their families, and the community as a whole.

Concerns about drugs and behaviour in schools have continued since this article was first published. However, the latest national survey data does not support a simple picture of steadily rising drug use among school pupils. In England, 12% of pupils in years 7 to 11 said that they had ever taken drugs in 2023, with the proportion falling for both boys and girls compared with the 2021 survey.

Drug Culture Exerting Pressure on Students

At the time, educators were extremely worried about the grip this culture exerted on young people in the UK, and indeed worldwide. Cannabis was described as one of the most heavily used drugs by high school students, with concern that some younger students were also experimenting with drugs. More recent official data shows that the proportion of school pupils in England reporting that they have ever taken drugs has fallen over the longer term.

Changing Patterns of Drug Use Among Young People

When this article was first published, some commentators argued that many teenagers regarded drugs as part of growing up and as part of their dance and music culture. Concerns were also raised about the accessibility of recreational drugs to young people. More recent official data shows a more mixed picture, with reported lifetime drug use among school pupils lower than in 2021. Early drug and alcohol use nevertheless remains an important safeguarding concern.

Students at the Badin High School in Ohio were asked to consent to drug testing as a condition of school enrolment. Any student who violates the school’s drug policy could be subjected to suspension or expulsion. The guidelines indicated that disciplinary action might not necessarily be taken on a student’s first positive drug test, provided no other policy violations occur. This includes possession of drugs and/or intoxication during school hours. However, after a second positive test a comprehensive intervention plan could be enacted, with expulsion recommended after the third offence. According to the administration, the police would be notified of any student selling contraband.

Do Schools Have the Right to Implement Drug Testing Policies?

This move by Badin High School sparked debate over whether public and/or private schools have the right to conduct drug and alcohol testing on students. The letter to parents advised that, while students were on school property or attending a school-related activity, they must understand that attendance at Badin is a privilege, not a right, and that they and their parents/guardians must act in a way that supports the safety, health, and well-being of all students.

A third party will be used to test students under the care of Badin High School. All controlled substances, nicotine, alcohol, and other unsafe substances and paraphernalia will be tested for, and drug-sniffing dogs will also be used to ensure the safety of all students in a drug-free environment. The school policy also prohibits nicotine and tobacco products, including electronic vaping products, on school property and at school-related activities. Should a student or parent refuse mandatory testing, this will be considered a positive result.

It Is up to Individual Schools

Acting as spokesperson for Badin High School, Jennifer Schack said it’s up to individual school administrations and school boards to decide if they choose to enact a drug testing policy, adding that these policies were made at the local level. David Bloomfield is a professor at Brooklyn College, and he believes that schools are largely within their rights to enact this type of policy. However, legal problems may arise if the school is deemed to be disproportionately testing one group of students over another group. He added that reasonable suspicion is the typical public-school standard for a search, whereas in this instance it would simply be suspicion. There may not be a tangible basis, it could be just a hunch or a whim. He is also concerned that this policy could affect marginalised students, whereby discriminatory enforcement could present a legal problem.

The age-old question of whether schools can legally test students for drugs goes back to before 2002, when the United States Supreme Court upheld drug testing for students participating in competitive extracurricular activities. An earlier ruling had approved drug testing for student athletes. The 2002 case involved an Oklahoma school district where students involved in competitive extracurricular activities, such as choir, cheerleading and the future homemakers club, were required to undergo drug testing.

No Clear Indication of Reduced Substance-Abuse Rates

Professor Cindy Huang from Columbia University said in an interview that there appears to be an increase in similar drug testing programs across the country. However, research on whether drug testing actually benefits students is mixed, Professor Huang said. She said that, to date, there has been no clear indication that mandatory drug testing leads to reduced substance abuse rates.

She believes that parents should not be concerned if a drug testing policy is implemented by their school, provided it is properly planned. When well thought out and implemented, it may have the potential to act as a preventative. Professor Huang said that parents must be proactive and ask specific questions about what the consequences are should a child test positive; whether drug testing will truly be ‘at random’ and not in such a way that specific children are targeted, and whether additional programs will be added to the curriculum to promote awareness of substance abuse.

Badin High School’s Concern About Student Wellness

In 2013 the National Institute on Drug Abuse conducted a study which revealed that lower marijuana usage was reported in schools that had implemented a drug testing program; however, higher usage of other illegal drugs by students was reported. The response from Badin High School was that its administration and staff had decided to focus on student wellness for the 2019-2020 school year, believing that being proactive on drug testing was in the best interests of their students and was the appropriate action for the administration to take. For the school administration, the implementation of a drug testing policy was tied to its overall concern for the safety, health, and wellness of their students.

Random Drug Testing in Schools

It is unclear as to which type of testing will be employed at the high school for random drug testing of students. Often workplace drug testing is performed using a urine drug testing kit that will show evidence of recent drug use. A five panel drug testing kit is often used by schools as it will screen for five of the most common drugs of abuse including cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines.

Saliva drug testing is also used by employers and other organisations to detect recent drug use. One of the advantages of saliva drug testing is that it is less invasive and easier to administer than urine drug testing. The downside of this type of testing is that the window of detection is generally shorter than that of a urine drug test.

Saliva drug tests can check for a small number of drugs, such as those on the Zoom Testing 5 panel saliva drug test, or a large number of drugs. The most comprehensive test of this type is the 16 panel saliva drug test.

Often a 7 panel saliva drug test is used by schools and employers as it will check for all the commonly used drugs of abuse.

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