Random Drug Testing

Drug Testing in Public Schools

How It Works and Why It Matters

In the summer of 2006, the Scottsbluff Public Schools Board of Education approved policies establishing Random Student Drug Testing for students at Scottsbluff High School (SHS) and Bluffs Middle School (BMS). All SHS and BMS students participating in extracurricular activities are included in the testing pool. Collectively, this policy encompasses more than two-thirds of SBPS secondary students.

Public school drug testing has become an increasingly common component of community efforts to reduce underage illicit drug use. According to federal school-safety data, approximately 1 in 5 U.S. public high schools require drug testing for student athletes, while more recent policy summaries estimate that nearly one-quarter of high school districts maintain mandatory drug testing policies.

Questions regarding the effectiveness of student drug testing continue to be debated. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that “because of the conflicting findings on student drug testing, more research is needed,” and further states that “drug testing should never be undertaken as a stand-alone response to a drug problem.” Scottsbluff Public Schools agrees with this assessment. Drug testing is intended to function as one component of a comprehensive, multi-tiered prevention strategy.

Local data, while not conclusive, remains encouraging. In Scottsbluff, only “less than a handful” of positive tests have been recorded at BMS, and fewer than 3 percent of SHS students tested each year have produced positive results. These outcomes suggest that the possibility of random testing may provide students with an additional incentive—or “reason”—to refuse drugs when confronted with peer pressure.

Furthermore, because a positive test does not result in school disciplinary action and consequences remain limited to the extracurricular activity in which the student participates, the program serves primarily as an early-intervention tool rather than a punitive measure. In many cases, it provides parents with an early indication that a student may be experimenting with drugs and allows families to seek support before the problem escalates.

Quick Facts About Scottsbluff Public Schools’ Drug Testing Program

  • Ten SHS students are tested each week. Approximately 370 students are tested during the school year, with fewer than 3 percent producing positive results.
  • Five BMS students are tested weekly. Very few positive tests have been recorded at BMS.
  • Students who test positive do not receive school disciplinary consequences. Any consequences remain specific to the extracurricular activity in which the student participates.
  • Parents are notified immediately and are actively involved throughout the process.
  • Students who test positive are required to meet with a school-approved drug and alcohol counselor.
  • Follow-up drug testing occurs at least once per month throughout the school year.
  • The testing process is conducted confidentially, respectfully, and privately.
  • SBPS contracts with a certified drug-testing provider, WPCI, which supplies the weekly random testing list and administers on-site testing using SBPS private locker room facilities.
  • Urinalysis testing is conducted at SHS, while mouth-swab testing is utilized at BMS and is available upon request.

An important principle underlying the program is this: “You do not measure the effectiveness of a drug-testing program by how many students you catch; you measure it by how many students you help prevent from using drugs in the first place.” This principle also reflects the inherent challenge in evaluating prevention efforts, as it is impossible to determine how many students chose not to experiment with drugs because of the possibility of being tested.

Nevertheless, in an era when marijuana legalization exists only a short distance away and adult drug use in the region remains concerningly high, the relatively low number of positive tests and the low incidence of student drug use suggest that the community’s prevention efforts are moving in a positive direction.