To drug test or not: More school districts in Ashland, Wayne and Holmes screening kids
Rachel Karas
Although the types and frequency of drugs teens are taking has changed over the years, it remains a prevalent problem across the country.
According to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2019 saw a significant increase in the number of 12- to 17-year-olds who reported marijuana use disorder over 2017.
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The data has led hundreds of schools, including some in Ashland, Holmes and Wayne counties, to institute drug and alcohol policies over the past few decades with the hopes of limiting or eliminating controlled substance use in teens.
While the policies vary per school, some organizations question their effectiveness in preventing drug use in children and contend there may be other preventative measures that work better.
Drug policies in area schools
Black River Local is the most recent area district to adopt a drug testing policy with its school board approving the policy during a May meeting.
The policy states a saliva test will be administered to students in grades nine through 12 at various points throughout the school year if they are enrolled in one of the three testing programs: the extra-curricular activity testing, the opt-in testing or the voluntary testing.
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The district does not plan to start any testing until next school year, Superintendent Chris Clark wrote in an email.
Triway, Southeast and Ashland City Schools have a similar testing policy to Black River but use urine instead of saliva. The students tested also varies since Ashland City only tests athletes while Triway, Southeast and Black River test students in various extracurricular activities.
There are some schools, like Hillsdale Local, Wayne County Schools Career Center and the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center, that go about testing in a different way.
Instead of mandatory tests, students can sign up to be a part of a Drug Free Club where they get membership cards if they test negative. With the cards students can get school rewards, like early job placement opportunities at Wayne County Career Center, and discounts at local businesses.
Although most schools have controlled substance policies, not all of them include testing.
Neither East or West Holmes schools administer tests. Instead they enforce drug-free policies that put students at risk of expulsion if they are caught with drugs, distribute drugs or are found to be under the influence.
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Pros and cons of drug testing policies
Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, questions the effectiveness of drug testing as a deterrent.
“Research has not demonstrated whether drug testing is an effective school-based prevention intervention,” Compton wrote in an email.
Compton isn’t alone in his thinking. A 2015 report from the American Academy of Pediatrics states “school-based drug testing programs can be associated with modest short-term decreases in psychoactive substance use, long-term changes have not been documented.”
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Although the long-term effectiveness is unknown, Clark said in a previous article from Ashland Times Gazette, he's hopeful the policy creates a space where students feel they can reach out.
“The testing program is designed to create a safe and healthy environment for students and to assist them in getting help when needed so that students may meet their full academic potential,” reads a slide from Clark’s presentation. "To that end, the program is rehabilitation-focused and maintains a non-punitive philosophy.”
Reach Rachel Karas at rkaras@gannett.com
On Twitter: @RachelKaras3