On February 14, the BG Independent reported the results of a survey of Wood County students’ drug use. The article noted increases in vaping, marijuana use, and alcohol and caffeine consumption. It also noted decreases in reported use of other drugs. Importantly, the survey found that 92% of Wood County students in grades 5 to 12 have been drug-free in the past 30 days.
In a subsequent February 19 article, the BG Independent reported discussions of the countywide survey results by the Bowling Green City Schools board, that Bowling Green and Eastwood schools were the only remaining districts in Wood County that did not engage in drug testing, and that the reported countywide increases were concerning and “seem to support the district’s consideration of the testing.”
I am concerned that the conclusion drawn by the school board might be premature. An important consideration that was not reported in the article is whether school districts that do not use drug testing—Bowling Green and Eastwood—have different levels of drug use than the other county school districts. It’s not clear from the results presented in either article that Bowling Green students actually saw a rise in drug use or that the drug testing used in other schools resulted in lower levels of drug use than in past years or lower levels than in Bowling Green.
What is needed are results reported by school district over time. I’m hoping that the BG Independent will post a link to the full survey report so that we might answer these questions before taking the major step of introducing drug testing into Bowling Green schools. (Editor’s note: Here’s the link.)
Furthermore, the article suggests that the county now has nine years of survey data going back to 2004 from which we might be able to learn even more about drug use, mental health, and other related issues among Wood County youth in order to improve school experiences for students and help school boards throughout the county make decisions about policy.
Many of my colleagues and I in the Department of Sociology (and I’m sure elsewhere) at BGSU would be happy to analyze data to help school districts answer their questions. BGSU is a public university for the public good.
Steve Demuth
Associate Professor of Sociology
Bowling Green State University
