Posts Tagged teen drug test

Ashland High School Forms Panel to Address Teen Drug Use

Posted by Drug Free in Alcohol Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Testing on May 17th, 2010

Ashland High School in Oregon recognized that there is an ongoing drug and alcohol problem among students in the school, including athletes. Concerned parents and school administrators have come together and formed a panel that will attempt to address this issue, according to a feature on the Mail Tribune.

teen drug abuseSuperintendent Juli Di Chiro shared: “There’s a drug and alcohol problem in Ashland among our students and the athletes are no different. This is something that we continue to not be successful in making those percentages go down. It’s a real dilemma.” Drug and alcohol use before games by athletes increases their risk for injuries, according to Di Chiro.

The committee is scheduled to meet on Thursdays at 4 in the afternoon, at the new gym auxiliary classroom of Ashland High School; all the meetings are open to the public. They have been tasked to come up with steps that the school can take to discourage the use of alcohol and drugs. Some parents are pushing for the implementation of a new drug and alcohol policy by fall of this year.

At this time, student athletes are asked to sign a form that says that they will not use drugs or alcohol during the season, but Superintendent Di Chiro said that some of these athletes do not take the contract seriously because they think that they will not get caught. Football coach Charlie Hall had asked that the School Board allow him to perform voluntary and random drug tests on a weekly basis. The board, however, voted to table the request 5-0.

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School District to Offer Voluntary Drug Testing

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Testing on May 10th, 2010

In an effort to proactively work against substance abuse by teens, the Cheyenne Mountain School District in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be offering a voluntary drug testing program, to be launched in the 2010-2011 school year, as shared in a feature on The Colorado Springs Gazette.

school drug testingThe school district board arrived at the decision to adopt the policy after discussions that lasted almost two years. The board had initially considered a mandatory drug testing policy which is now in effect in other school districts in Colorado Springs. Discussions about teen substance and alcohol abuse and what ought to be done to effectively address the issue was conducted by the board before finalizing what it is that the district will adopt.

The discussion included soliciting comments and information from parents, students, staff and residents of the district. The consensus was that the district needed to become more proactive in as far as fighting illegal drug abuse and underage drinking is concerned.

In the voluntary drug testing program, parents and guardians are given the prerogative of enrolling their children in the program. Once enrolled, these kids can be subjected to random drug testing. This move will be accompanied by a strengthening of the district’s awareness programs; according to Superintendent Walt Cooper, their goal is to “create a safe, drug- and alcohol-free campus.”

Parents who choose to enroll their children in the program will pay a $30 enrollment fee, although this does not necessarily mean that the student involved will be chosen for testing at random screenings.

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