Board members of the Carter Family Foundation unanimously approved a $50,000 grant which will be utilized once the Raleigh County Board of Education passed a proposed drug testing policy for students.

Pete Torrico, one of the five-person board members of the Carter group, described their decision as “a step in the right direction.” He said that the drug problem in southern West Virginia is putting a strain on the state workforce and it’s only logical to help the younger generation develop into productive individuals.

“We can’t re-educate all the adults, but we can start with children and get them started off on the right foot,” Torrico said.

The policy under consideration by the BOE seeks to implement a random drug test among students who participate in extracurricular activities, as well as those who drive vehicles to school. Two of the BOE members expressed their support for the policy and another two don’t believe it’s the solution in curbing substance abuse in kids. One of the board members is expected to deliver the deciding vote when they meet at a hearing scheduled June 14.

Jim Brown, Raleigh County Superintendent of Schools, told the Associated Press that the Carter Family Foundation’s grant is a positive sign that they have the community support. He stressed that the goal of the policy is to give kids an incentive to resist drug use.

Drug testing advocates firmly believe that teenagers are less likely to use and abuse banned substances if they know that their parents would subject them to a random drug test at home. But apart from prevention, drug testing allows for early intervention in teens who couldn’t resist the temptation of illicit drugs. As addiction specialists often say, it’s easier to treat substance abuse problems when early detection occurs.

However, drug testing isn’t always an easy policy to lay out in the household. Privacy concern is a big thing for any of us, and it is all the more a big deal for teenagers. Just raising the possibility of a drug test can already elicit angry protests from teens, and sometimes forcing such policy may result to animosity between the parent and the child. It’s also worth mentioning that teenagers these days have become smarter and more sophisticated in concealing drugs, not to mentioning beating drug screens.

Drug testing your kids is a matter of personal and individual decision. While it can be effective in preventing drug abuse, it can also pose a great challenge when dealing with uncooperative teenager. It could be worth trying, though, but it’s also important to educate your kids about the effects of substance abuse while they’re still young.

The study, conducted by The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind, surveyed more than 3,500 students at New Jersey middle and high schools over a 7-year period. Participating students came from schools with and without random drug testing program.

According to the researchers, only about 1 percent of 8th graders reported ever using illicit drugs, and only about 14 percent reported drinking alcohol. That figure of 14 percent dropped to 6 percent among students who were tested for drugs and alcohol at some point.

“People expect students to say, ‘I’m not going to do drugs now because I might be tested tomorrow,’ but that’s just not how kids and teenagers think,” Dan Cassino, a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson and principal investigator for the study, said in a news release. “What seems to be happening is that students who’ve been tested start to realize what a big deal it is, and stay away from drugs in the future.”

Nowadays, a growing number of high schools are implementing random drug testing for students involved in sports and other extra-curricular activities in the hope of fighting substance abuse in the campus. Although research on the effectiveness of such policy has been mixed, many school officials believe it would be effective in keeping children drug-free.

Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, explained that the results of the latest survey “show that student drug testing changes the environment of the school community and show they serve as an effective prevention strategy for the abuse of drugs and alcohol in their future.”

According to school officials, the new policy is not punitive in nature but to help students avoid drug use and the dangers associated with it. Beginning March, the school will randomly drug test 20 students a month and those who fail the drug test for the first time will receive counseling.

“We’ve been very transparent with what we’re doing – we want them to be successful, we want them to know we care, we want them to know that what we’re doing is what we feel is in their best interest,” Bill Gillespie, the school’s director of counseling, told CBS Philly.

While some students think the new policy is transgressing “some boundaries,” many parents have expressed their support for the program and the effort to help kids make the right choice in life.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a St. Joseph’s Prep alumnus, has likewise been supportive of the school’s drug testing program, saying some of today’s youth “may have challenges with drug issues,” and thus the need for proper guidance.

“Our hope is to educate them and treat them individually with respect,” says Principal Jason Zazyczny. “It’s a non-punitive policy, so we’re going to do everything possible before we would ever ask a student to withdraw.”

According to Mount Vernon News, the district will follow the drug testing policy established in 2003. Students who are involved in any extra-curricular activity or those who drive vehicles on school grounds will be required to undergo random drug testing. The test will be performed periodically to give students a fair and equitable chance of being chosen each time selections are required.

The purpose of the program, which is expected to begin  around December, is to ensure the health and safety of all students; undermine the effects of peer pressure; encourage students to participate in drug treatment; and to prevent the impact drugs and alcohol has on the learning environment.

It wasn’t clear yet whether the drug tests will be performed by a third party service provider or what kind of substances are going to be screened, but the board assures more details will be disseminated to parents through emails, coaches and parent advisories.

North Fork School District’s 2003 policy states: “The board realizes that a student’s participation in the district’s school sponsored extra-curricular program and student drivers, who use illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco, pose a threat to their own health and safety, as well as to that of other students.”

“The board also recognizes that the use of alcohol and illicit drugs by students is a national problem and, with the support from the U.S. Supreme Court, the North Fork Local School District will put a program of deterrence and intervention into effect as a pro-active approach to a truly safe and drug-free school.”

An official from Xavier College Preparatory High School said the program will be voluntary when it begins in the spring but mandatory for admission starting next fall. And just like other schools with the same program, Xavier intends to implement drug testing for their students to help them stay clear of drugs.

“Our goal is prevention rather than punishment,” Dean of Students Mark Granger told The Desert Sun. “Ultimately, the goal of the program is to empower students to say no.”

School administrators denied claims that the drug testing policy is a response to the drug use problem at their school. Instead, they insisted the approach is aimed at encouraging students make healthier choices. Granger added that when students know any drug use in the past 90 days could show up on a drug test, they would have an incentive to stop using or to avoid drugs.

The Xavier test will look for illegal substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, and prescription drugs like Oxycodone and Vicodin. The test won’t be screening for alcohol or tobacco use.

Once the program is in place, about 10 to 15 percent of the student body will be subjected to random drug test every 100 days. The report says the school will be using hair drug testing method. Those who test positive will be required to take a drug test every 100 days, with the cost to be shouldered by the family for as long as the student attends the school.

Granger added that they have so far received overwhelming response from parents; one parent even saying “I send them to a private school because I want good, hard rules.”

The movement encourages parents to drug test their kids at least five times a year to help them stay away from using marijuana. Parents can request for marijuana drug test kit, free of charge, which enables them to confirm whether or not their kids are telling the truth.

In a feature on Winknews.com, Drug Free Charlotte County Executive Director Amity Chandler says: “We’re not even saying to parents, do it, we’re saying pick up the test, talk to your teen about, and let them know the option of the test might come up if they’re breaking rules, when they start driving, when they get a job.”

Since June, VerifyTruth has already given 1,000 marijuana drug tests and most parents seem happy with the idea.

In its website, VerifyTruth laid out several reasons to use drug testing, one of them is, for parents to have the opportunity to intervene early if their teens begin experimenting on marijuana and other drugs.

According to a Teen Norms Survey done last year in Charlotte County, 39 percent of high school students said they experimented on marijuana at least once — a 4 percent increase since 2006. An increase in marijuana use was also observed for middle schoolers.

Chandler added that while Charlotte County kids are becoming more aware of the dangers of tobacco, the same cannot be said about marijuana. But through the new campaign, they are hoping to help parents guide their kids in avoiding peer pressure that could lead them to marijuana, as well as reduce the prevalence of drug use in the county.

School officials agreed to implement the policy beginning next year in an effort to prevent students from using drugs. The decision came after a recent study,  conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, says that drug use is prevalent during the school day.

“The whole emphasis of the program is prevention, not punishment,” said Dr. Stuart Gulley, president at Woodward Academy.

While Dr. Gulley believes that drug use is not just a Woodward problem, they are hoping that through random drug test, their students are more able to live a healthier life.

Woodward Academy’s drug testing plan will take every few weeks, involving a random selection of upper school students, 9th through 12th graders. The school plans to hire the service of an outside firm that will perform the test. If a student tests positive once, s/he will be getting additional hours of community service. Students that test positive twice will be facing dismissal from the school.

When asked if the procedure oversteps a school’s bounds, Dr. Gulley said, “We’ve heard that from a few parents here, but overwhelmingly the response from parents has been very much in favor of what we’re planning to do.”

Dr. Gulley also shared that in his talks with other private schools that have implemented similar programs, he learned that they all felt a major change in the culture, and that change is the kind he hopes to see at Woodward.

Superintendent Chris Grode has been chosen to head the presentation of the proposal to the school board which will contain all the necessary information about the proposed drug test program — from the students that will be subjected to the procedure, to the corresponding sanctions, the budget for the program, and all other issues of the proposal.

The proposal is expected to be out on August and will be voted on by September. Grode says that while his presentation will answer questions related to the drug testing procedure, the school board will be responsible for the final list of students that will comprise the testing population. During earlier meetings of the board, students with parking privileges and those involved in sports and other school activities will be subjected to random drug testing.

Board president Mike Austin was concerned about the costs for each test. Board member Kristi Miller said the tests will probably require 50 centavos to $3 each from the school. Should there be a need for third-party analysis, most outside companies charge around $25 per test.

For students involved in school activities that will test positive, parents will be immediately notified and the students concerned will be suspended from their extra-curricular activities. The same goes for students with parking rights as their parking permits will be automatically confiscated if they get involved in drugs.

Parents are welcome to contest the results and are given the opportunity to have re-tests, but they will have to shoulder the succeeding re-tests costs.

Grode also gave the assurance that the results will be kept confidential by the school. What they are after is that students will be aware that such a program is in effect and that it will hopefully discourage them from using illicit drugs.

In 2012, the San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District stopped conducting student drug testing after the federal grant was taken away. The board decided not to use taxpayer money to continue the program as it could jeopardize the district’s balanced budget, lower tax rate and teacher raises. Sadly, the decision has given students the opportunity to try abusing substances under the assumption that they don’t have to worry about being caught in a drug test. According to Superintendent Mark Eades, several students were recently caught using alcohol and drugs.

Drug testing in San Marcos school district was started primarily to give students the option to stay away from drugs. And the same reason still holds true now that the board is bringing it back. However, this time around, only high school students will be randomly tested, excluding middle school students.

A private company will be paid $13,000 annually to screen 30 students a month, bringing the total to 240 a year — half of the number will be boys and the other half girls. San Marcos will enforce tougher disciplinary actions on students that will come out positive on the drug test. Students testing positive on drugs on the first time must sit out of all competitions for an entire year, attend counseling, and be tested seven more times in a row. And if student tests positive twice, they will be banned from extracurricular activities for the rest of their high school career.