Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

TRENTON — Joe Newcomb, founder of Drug-Free Clubs of America, has seen many things in his lifelong career as a Cincinnati firefighter.

But the worst of all is seeing the lifeless body of a young person who has overdosed, he said at an information meeting for parents Sept. 12 at Edgewood High School.

Randomly drug testing high school students is just the latest — and perhaps most controversial — in a long line of steps to curb teen drug use at Edgewood High School.

Just two weeks from the first round of random drug testing, debate on online communities in Trenton, such as trentontalk.com, have generated several pages worth of discussion on random drug testing.

The district has employed a comprehensive drug and alcohol education program for years to help students make good decisions about substance abuse, according to officials.

Educational programs on drug and alcohol use are employed throughout the district, Director of Community Relations John Thomas said.

In fact, officials are currently working on a new program to be implemented at elementary schools, Superintendent Tom York said.

The district promotes "Parents who host lose the most" platforms, which focus on educating parents about the liabilities of hosting parties with drug or alcohol use for teenagers, Thomas said.

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug for adolescents and has been for several years, according to Monitor the Future, a national long-term study of drug use.

Edgewood High School uses Breathalyzer testing at school events such as prom to prevent student alcohol use, Principal Bob Buchheim said.

Edgewood High School begins its random drug testing policy in two weeks. Staff writer Megan Gildow got answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the policy.

Q Who will be tested?

A Students who are in extracurricular activities or ?nongraded? privileges will be eligible for random drug testing, district spokesman John Thomas said. That includes Edgewood High School students who are involved in athletics, clubs or organizations that do not receive a grade and students who purchase parking permits. Middle school students who participate in a high school extracurricular activity, such as marching band, will also be eligible for testing. Consent forms signed by both the parent and the student are due by Oct. 1 for current activities; for future activities, students will be required to submit a form by the date of the first competition.

Q How did the schools choose which students would be tested?

A The district is not allowed to require drug testing for all students. Students who participate in activities considered privileges are the only students legally eligible for random drug testing.

Q Will staff be drug tested?

A Currently, bus drivers are the only staff required to submit to random drug testing, Superintendent Tom York said. In order to test staff members currently employed by the district, an agreement would have to be reached with collective bargaining units representing certified and classified staff, York said. The district currently does not test new employees and is not required to do so. Noncontractual staff members including York, high school principal Bob Bucheim and assistant principal Timothy Spinner said they would be willing to submit to random drug testing.

Q What are the costs associated with the random drug testing program and how will it be funded?

A The cost of performing the random drug tests each month will be about $4,000 a year and paid for by the Safe and Drug Free Schools federal grant. If a student appeals a drug test, he or she will be responsible for the $200 cost for the second test, according to the random drug testing regulations established by Edgewood. If a student fails a test, he or she will have to pay for a second negative screen in order to rejoin activities, according to the regulations. The student would also have to submit to mandatory drug testing, paid for by the district, for the remainder of his or her time at Edgewood High School, said

Buchheim.

Q Does random drug testing work as a deterrent to teen drug use?

A In Milford High School?s first year of random drug testing students in a policy very similar to Edgewood?s, only one student tested positive for drugs, according to Milford Assistant Principal Tom Wilson. Olentangy High School has a program that tests student athletes; only two football players have tested positive for drugs, according to Edgewood Athletic Director Steve Chanell. According to Edgewood officials, random drug testing is aimed at prevention, not to catch students doing something wrong. The information available on random drug testing is varied. Many studies that seem to suggest drug testing does not work as a deterrent to teen drug use are irrelevant because they focus on programs for drug testing for suspicion or cause and not random drug testing like the program Edgewood is considering. Likewise, studies that seem to suggest programs like Edgewood?s implemented at schools do deter student drug use do not have data focusing on the eligible students groups drug use prior to and after drug testing was implemented. For more information on research on random drug testing, visit the Drug Alliance Policy at drugtestingfails.org or the federal government at randomstudentdrugtesting.org.

Q How many students will be tested?

A About 12 to 15 students will be tested each month. The pool will represent about 50 percent of Edgewood?s 1,050 students, said Buchheim.

Q Do other local schools do drug testing?

A Milford High School is in its second year of drug testing.

Olentangy and Reynoldsburg high schools also do random drug testing.

Q How will samples be secured?

A Once a student is selected for the random drug testing, an administrator will escort that student to a private testing place during fourth period?s 30-minute study hall. The students must produce a sample within three hours of being selected or could face the same consequences as a positive result. The student will be escorted to the testing area where he or she will meet an employee of Mercy Health Solutions. The Mercy Health employee will go into the testing area, but not the stall with the student. Once the student has produced the sample, he or she will seal it with a number on the sample. The student will then sign a form acknowledging the number on the sample and give it to the Mercy Health employee, ensuring a ?chain of custody,? said

Buchheim.

Q What are the consequences for failing a drug test?

A There are no academic consequences to failing a drug test, according to officials, and the student would not be suspended from school. Consequences are implemented over the lifetime of a students? enrollment at Edgewood High School and not on a yearly basis. The first time a student is tested, he or she will abstain from activities for 20 percent of the competitions or 35 school days (20 percent) for activities or parking. The student must also follow the reinstatement process for rejoining activities, including producing a negative drug screen, writing a letter asking to be reinstated, having an assessment by a licensed drug counselor or doctor certified to treat chemical addictions and submitting to mandatory drug testing. The second offense is a 365-day suspension from activities and requires the student to follow the same reinstatement process but must have ongoing treatment for drug use and have a meeting with school officials to be reinstated. The third offense means the student will not be permitted to participate in activities for the remainder of his or her enrollment at Edgewood High School.

Q Is there any chance of a false positive?

A The tests are 99.9 percent accurate, according to Buchheim. If a test is positive for drug use, parents would be notified by Mercy Health Solutions prior to district notification. If the student has a prescription for medicine that showed up in the test or believes the test to be inaccurate, he or she will have 48 hours to produce evidence or another sample to appeal the results.

Q How long does a student?s name stay in the pool?

A Students will only be tested while they are participating in an activity or privilege. For example, if a student plays in only one sport during the entire school year, he or she would only be eligible for testing during the time he or she is participating in that activity.

Q How will the students who are tested be chosen?

A When a student returns a consent form, the student will be assigned a number. On the day of testing, Mercy Health Solutions will generate a list of numbers to be tested; the numbers will then be matched up to the student to be tested.