By Anderson Sullivan
Editor-In-Chief
[dropcap]B[/dropcap]eginning in 2005, Dare County Schools instituted random drug testing of students in grades seven through 12 that wanted to participate in extracurricular activities including sports or who wanted to buy a parking permit. 2012 marks the eighth school year of the suspicionless drug testing policy. With a 10.3 percent failure or refusal rate in the 2011-12 school year, Dare County Schools continues to rank well above the national average of 2.5 percent, according to a Dare County Schools report.
The Dare County School board implemented random drug testing after the reality of the local substance abuse problem came to their attention. The drug testing program costs about $27,000 a year, and the first four years were paid for by a grant. The costs of testing are now paid by local funds, said Nancy Griffin, Director of Secondary Instruction for Dare County Schools.
“There was great concern among our board members about the impact of substance abuse among our (county’s) youth on their success in school and the dropout rate,” Griffin said. “So they (the board) were wanting to do something that would hopefully deter kids from using as well as to identify kids who needed some help and specifically give help to them.”
The policy that remains in place requires any student in grades 7-12 who wishes to participate in interscholastic athletics, voluntary extracurricular activities and campus parking privileges must agree to participate in the random drug testing program, according to the Dare County Schools Code of Conduct. Those not involved in any of those voluntary activities can still opt into the random drug testing program.
Approximately 50 percent of the pool of eligible students at each secondary school will be tested each year. There is no prior notice as to when the drug testing will occur, but it takes place at least once a month. Students chosen to be tested who are absent on the test date will be added to the sample to be tested the next date, according to the Dare County Schools Code of Conduct.
The tests are performed by Sports Safe, a company out of Ohio that helps to develop and implement drug testing programs for school districts, said Matthew Franz, Director of Operations for Sports Safe Testing Service.
“(Sports Safe helps) build a policy and then manage the actual testing program, to the point where we decide who is going to be tested randomly. We contact the collector to come to the school and do the drug test collection, and then those specimens go to the laboratory that we contract with. And then we review the results, verify and call parents, and report findings to the school,” Franz said.
Sports Safe sends a list of student ID numbers to each school the day of testing. If a student tests positive for illegal substances or alcohol, a medical review officer from the Sports Safe company notifies the student’s parents. The school is not notified of the first positive test, but the student is retested between 30 and 90 days of the failed test. If a student fails a second test, the medical review officer notifies the school, then the student and his or her parents meet with that school’s principal, according to the Dare County Schools code of conduct.
“The principal has a conversation with the student and parents about the loss of privileged activities which include athletics, clubs, organizations, all extracurriculars basically and parking in the parking lot,” Principal Arty Tillett said. “And then the student can regain his or her eligibility by going through a process that is basically a substance abuse assessment and (the student) has to agree to comply with the treatment recommended with the assessment and has to produce a negative test that is administered. Thirdly a document (has to be) filled out by a physician that (says) the student has had a conversation with the doctor about drug use. Those three things have to be done in order to regain eligibility, otherwise (the student) is ineligible for a period of 365 days.”
Griffin said that when drug testing first began there was a steady increase in positive drug tests, but that has changed in recent years.
“In the last couple of years we have seen a reduction in the number of positives and refusals, which means there is a reduction in the number of mandatory retests,” Griffin said.
Between the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school year there was a 29 percent reduction in the percent of total tests that resulted in positives or refusals. This was the largest decrease to occur since the drug testing policy began, with the rate increasing the first five years the program was used, according to a Dare County Schools report.
“I do (think drug testing stops students from doing drugs). I think over time that one of the reasons we are seeing a reduction (is that some students) really value participating in the privileged activities,” Griffin said. “I think (drug testing) is making a difference for those students who are identified through a positive test and go through the intervention and counseling and treatment program.”
Some students do not think that drug testing stops students from using drugs and think it is a waste of money.
“I feel like because of the amount of money it takes to perform the drug tests, it is not really worth it,” said senior Irene Chinchilla. “I don’t think it helps with the prevention of drug use. Kids still use drugs even though there is a risk of being tested.”
While the reduction occurred last year, the county still has a failure rate much higher than the national average and Franz said it is one of the highest that he works with.
“Dare County has one of the highest fail rates for drug testing that I am aware of and part of that is because of the area,” Franz said.
Tillett says the high rate of drug use is a community problem.
“(The drug problem) has been around for a long time and is pervasive in our schools, among our students,” Tillett said. “It’s multifaceted, with family and even cultural use, and certainly, I think it’s made worse by the fact that we are in a tourist area.”
Griffin agrees with Tillett, and said that one of the reasons for the high positive test rate is the “culture” of the Outer Banks.
“Perhaps as a resort community there is a different mindset of youth,” Griffin said. “And it takes awhile to turn that around because it is a belief and a value that changes over time.”
Tillett says he believes drug testing is working because of the decrease in positive tests.
“On some level it seems to be working, and the greatest indicator is a reduction in second positive tests,” Tillett said. “I have had (fewer) meetings with students’ parents about second tests than in the first few years.”
Although there has been a reduction in the past years, Griffin thinks that drug use remains a problem on the Outer Banks.
“It continues to be important for people to understand that the community, as well as the school system, is serious about wanting to see substance abuse on the decline,” Griffin said. “It would be nice to not have to do drug testing. It might be, when we get to the point where we’re (the school district) close to meeting the national rate of positive tests that we might consider that we have changed our community enough that it would not be necessary, but I think we’re still a ways from that.”
Tillett agrees that the drug problem needs to continue to be addressed, saying drug testing is only part of that.
“Drug testing is just one piece of the puzzle. There are a lot of other programs, initiatives out there that are working toward the same end,” Tillett said. “It’s going to take lots and lots of effort from a lot of different people and organizations to win this war on substance abuse, and the school is very much a committed partner in fighting this war. It’s going to take lots of different kinds of initiatives and people to turn the tide on this terrible problem.”
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