Districts Find Drug Testing Useful 'Tool for Intervention'

A random drug testing policy is still being developed at the Lacey Township School District, and other districts with pre-existing programs have said implementation is “worthwhile.”

Lacey is mapping out a plan to randomly drug test high school students who participate in extracurricular activities and those who hold a parking permit. In February, the Lacey administration said it was preparing to propose the random drug testing program to the Board of Education for a first reading of a policy in April with implementation for the 2013-14 school year.

“The policy is still in development, and there will be another announcement for a (community forum) after spring break,” Superintendent Dr. Sandra Brower said.

Approximately $30,000 has been set aside in the 2013-14 budget for random drug testing.

During the district’s second community forum, Brower said staff would be discussing the issue with districts that already have a program in place.

“Feedback has been very positive and supportive,” she said.

Patch spoke to Clearview and Nutley School Districts — high schools similar in size to Lacey — as well as Shore Regional, who have implemented a random drug testing policy.

According to the Drug-Free Projects Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit that advocates for drug testing in schools, there is a correlation between drug use and poor academic achievement.

A 2008 review and analysis of school report card data shows that Clearview, Nutley and Shore Regional each have higher graduation and lower drop-out rates in addition to higher average math and language arts scores on the SATs than Lacey Township High School.

Clearview Regional High School

A school district and parents cannot combat the rising drug problem alone, said John Horchak III, superintendent of Clearview School District in Gloucester County.

By law, districts must practice suspicion-based testing, he said. Districts have a responsibility to send a child who is suspected of drug use for medical evaluation.

And then there’s random drug testing. Clearview has been random drug testing its students for more than a decade, he said.

Clearview, Shore Regional and Nutley School Districts each test students involved in athletics, extracurricular activities and those with parking passes — anything defined as a “privilege,” Horchak said.

Each Clearview student is assigned a number from a testing company, and 20 to 30 numbers are chosen once a week. The district sets aside approximately $21,000 in each budget for random drug testing. It costs $18 a test.

“Some will go through four years of school and don’t get called,” he said.

Clearview also administers pre-season testing for all athletes, he said.

“If a child tests positive, that does not mean that there’s discipline in school, nor does it meant they’re off a team,” he said. Punitive action is not taken.

The student is required to participate in a confidential counseling program, outside of school and paid for by the parents, he said.

“The school is not incurring that cost,” he said.

The district has had success with the program, he said, although it’s not always easy. They’ve had to educate the public, facilitate the process and commit to quickly respond.

“It’s very difficult to get parents out and get them excited about drug testing,” he said, adding that many have an attitude of “not my kid.”

But Horchak has seen drugs problems regardless of affluence, he said.

“This stuff will not discriminate,” he said. “It doesn’t impact just one population, and often times it’s the affluent.”

Parents who have a negative response to random drug testing are often misinformed, he said.

"This is not a 'gotcha' scenario,” he said. “We’re simply a resource tool for the parents. That’s all it comes down to. It’s really a service. That way you can identify a problem mom and dad might not have been able to tackle at home.”

Horchak says Clearview has been fortunate.

”We’ve gone through peaks and valleys of positive results,” he said. “If in fact we’ve saved one child, all the time, work and aggravation was worth it. You can’t put a price on a child’s life.”

In 2012, there were approximately 12 positive test results, with the district sampling about 10 percent of the population throughout a season, he said.

“We’ve had kids in every category (test positive),” he said, including football players and band members. “You’ll find it across all social groups.

“You don’t know how many kids you’re actually saving because they never get to that level,” he said. “It’s really a tool for the kids. Obviously with peer pressure, sometimes they just need an out.”

Shore Regional High School

In 2005, Shore Regional High School implemented random drug testing. The superintendent proposed the program after the Drug Enforcement Agency did a presentation in 2004, said Student Assistance Counselor Jennifer Czajkowski.

Research was conducted, and presentations on the program were made at faculty and parent meetings. Meeting minimal parent resistance, the Board of Education sought legal advisement and eventually approved a policy.

“Parents in the community were and continue to be supportive of the program,” she said, adding that random drug testing promotes a “positive and safe climate” in the school and helps facilitate refusal skills for peer pressure.

“Additionally, it can be used as a tool for intervention to identify those who may have a substance issue so they can get the help they need,” she said.

With $9,600 budgeted for random drug testing a year, the process is conducted by the nurse and student assistance counselors, which can be time consuming and a challenge, she said.

Positive test results are sent to a medical review doctor for review and investigation. Parents are contacted, and if necessary, the prescribing physician. The student is then sent to a facility to be retested and seen by a doctor to be cleared to be in school.

“We require the student to have a substance abuse evaluation and they also meet with our student assistance counselor in school,” she said. “Lastly, they are removed from their team, extracurricular activity or parking on campus for a period of 30 days.”

At the end of the 30 days, the student is re-tested in school.

Czajkowski said that approximately 0.95 percent of the eligible students test positive. 

Nutley High School

At Nutley, random drug testing has been in place for at least six years, after the district consulted with Hunterdon Central, the first district in the state to implement a program.

“(Drugs) is a concern wherever you go. There’s a drug problem all over the place,” said Nutley High School Principal Denis Williams. “The biggest problem is opiates right now.”

It’s unfortunate that legally districts can only target groups of students, he said, rather than testing the total population.

A random lottery is performed and a percentage of students are called down each week, he said. Parents also have the option of putting their children in the pool.

In 2010-11, out of 1,200 students, 800 were thrown into the random drug testing pool. Of those 800, 166 tests were performed, and five students tested positive.

“There’s always a need. I don’t care what campus, town or district. If you think you’re immune you’re just not paying attention,” he said.

But Williams believes the program does target the wrong students.

“The ones doing drugs on a daily basis aren’t the ones involved in extracurricular activities,” he said, adding that suspicion-based drug testing usually is helpful in that situation.

Since its inception, the policy in Nutley has been altered, he said. Consequences have changed as well as expanding the groups of students tested. Now, all extracurricular clubs are tested.

The district typically allots $20,000 to $50,000 for random drug testing in each budget cycle.

Students who do test positive do not lose participation in activities. They are required to do counseling through the student assistance counselor program for six months.

Punitive action is not taken except that students are not allowed to return to school until they have a negative test.

Ultimately, the program has helped the character and culture of the school, Williams said. Because a majority of the population is involved in random drug testing, it encourages good behavior.

“I think it’s a worthwhile venture at the end of the day,” he said. “The positive outweigh the negatives. You’re setting the notion that you have a deterrent factor there. I don’t know how strong it is, but it’s there."

“Most importantly, you’re providing the counseling needed in positive test results, and I think that’s what schools are supposed to do, provide services,” he said.