UC schools adopt new drug-testing program
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

The Union County School Board approved a new drug testing program for students in Union County High School and Woody Gap High School, as educators continue to explore ways to institute programs that encourage a drug-free lifestyle for students.

The program will begin during the 2007-2008 school year and will be conducted at random times throughout the year.

Anyone who does not wish to participate in the drug testing program cannot not be involved in extra-curricular school activities or park and drive on campus. Any student who participates in a schoolsponsored activity that is not considered part of the academic curriculum can be tested. These activities include sports, band, clubs, student government, fine arts organizations, technology programs, the prom and other dances, parking or driving a vehicle on campus, and all other groups that participate in competitions or community service projects on behalf of the school system.

This covers the majority of students in the high school. "We're going to have close to 800 students next year," Union County High School Principal Ed Rohrbaugh said. "I would say anywhere from 600-700 of those will be in [the testing pool.]"

Principal Rohrbaugh explained that the program costs approximately $10,000 per year to operate. The majority of the money will be funded through a Safe & Drug Free Schools Grant, and the Union County Board of Education will pay for the remaining costs.

Information about the program was presented at a public meeting last Thursday, June 13, in order for parents and other residents to be educated about the program and be given the opportunity to ask questions or express concerns. The meeting included a representative from Rabun County High School. That school system used the program in the 2006-2007 school year.

"It was a really good meeting," Cindy Gallucci, Coordinator of the Union County Anti-Drug Coalition (UCADC) stated. "The parents that were there were just praising the Union County School System for allowing this to come in. I was kind of nervous thinking that [some of them] might be against it, but they were all for it and were just really thankful for this being implemented."

The UCADC worked with the school system as an advocate for the testing program. "We were relentless with information that we brought to them," Gallucci said. "I'm just glad that the school system saw that need and they care enough about their students to want to implement this system for their betterment. I'm really excited about this. I think it is a good incentive [for students.] Instead of saying, 'I can't do that drug because my mom told me not to,' a football player could say, 'I'm not going to do this because I'm a football player and I could be tested.' I think that is a good deterrent."

"I think it is going to be a great thing for the schools," Principal Rohrbaugh added. "Hopefully people will see it as a way to help kids, and that's what we are trying to do. It is a tool for intervention and treatment. It gives our students a good reason to say no."

The primary goal of the random drug testing program is simple, to provide safe and drug free environment. It is being implemented for the protection of student safety and welfare. To that end the program attempts to accomplish this in a number of ways.

The program begins by serving as a deterrent to drugs. Random drug testing has been shown to deter drug use. This is an important issue because maturing nervous systems are more critically impaired by drugs than mature ones are. Childhood losses in learning due to drug use can be lifelong and profound. Children also become chemically dependent more quickly than adults and their record of recovery is more dismal. The program also functions as a tool for intervention for students who are already abusing drugs or who become involved in the practice while in school. It is a means to obtain assessment, counseling, and treatment for youth involved in drugs. As Gallucci said, the program can also undermine the effects of peer pressure by providing a legitimate reason to refuse to use illegal drugs.

The school system is emphasizing that the program is not a means to expel students, involve law enforcement, or produce academic consequences for a student. The results of any drug test administered under these procedures will only be used to determine eligibility for participation in sports, other extracurricular activities and parking and driving on the grounds of Union County high schools.

Students enrolled in the program will be chosen for testing at random via an assigned identification number which is generated by a computer program. The more activities a student is involved in, the more likely they are to be tested. "A lot of students play sports, and some play different sports. Their name may be in the pool more than once," Principal Rohrbaugh said. "It may be in the pool as a football player, it may be in there as a driver, it may be in there as a Beta Club Member. Their names are put in there several times because of different activities."

The process is purely random, and testing will be unannounced. The testing will screen for a number of substances, including amphetamines, methamphetamines, marijuana (THC), cocaine and opiates. Once in the program, a student's refusal to test shall be treated as a positive test result. In the testing process a urine sample will be collected from a student in accordance with the procedure designated by the drug-testing laboratory. A medical doctor specializing in toxicology will determine if a substance present in the urine screen has a valid medical reason for being there. The results of any drug test conducted in these procedures will be kept confidential.