School Drug Testing Case Study
The National Drug Control Strategy 2008 Annual Report contains a case study on the schools drug testing program in Pulaski County Schools, Kentucky.
In 2005, the Pulaski County School District in Kentucky was awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools to facilitate random drug testing. The grant enabled the district to collaborate with the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (KY-ASAP) Regional Prevention Center, Kentucky School Board Association, local community coalitions, and the local school board to develop policies and procedures clarifying the district’s goals to reduce drug use and incorporating a comprehensive random drug testing program.
Pulaski County Schools’ random drug testing program is mandatory for student athletes and participants in competitive extracurricular programs and is also open to volunteers. Student drivers are tested using other funding sources. The program provides graduated consequences for students who test positive and, in keeping with a supportive philosophy, provides an opportunity for students to self-report and seek help before being tested. Full-time substance abuse counselors, provided through Operation Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment, and Education (UNITE), give students the individual support needed to become drug-free and stay that way. Operation UNITE works to rid communities of illegal drug use through undercover narcotics investigations, coordinated treatment for substance abusers, support to families and friends of substance abusers, and public education about the dangers of using drugs.
The comprehensive random drug testing program, which includes prevention and student assistance programming, is producing encouraging results. Of the 4,091 students enrolled in middle and high schools, 2,354 (57.5 percent) of the students volunteered to participate in the random drug testing program, in addition to the mandatory participants who are involved in extracurricular activities.
The DaytaTree Team