By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Schools has been one of the hold-outs in the county for student drug testing – but that may be ending.
The board of education heard a presentation Tuesday evening from Kyle Prueter, of Great Lakes Biomedical, which handles drug testing in about 120 schools in Ohio.
“We have a concern just like most schools,” Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci said, noting that Eastwood is the only other district in Wood County that doesn’t already do random drug tests.
Scruci said he hopes to have a “community conversation” about a drug testing program, possibly next month. He stressed that the purpose of the testing would be to help, not punish students.
“It is not a gotcha program,” he said. “We are not in the business to kick kids out of school.”
Prueter said his business, Great Lakes Biomedical, has the same philosophy. The purpose is prevention.
“It’s all about giving kids one more reason to say ‘no,’” when other kids pressure them to use drugs or alcohol, he said.
Random drug testing of students averages 85 percent support from parents, and more than 50 percent support from students. “The kids are tired of it also,” he said.
Testing is done with kids in extra-curriculars because attending school is a right, but participating in athletics or other activities is a privilege. It is a myth, Prueter said, that drug testing turns kids away from sports and other extra-curriculars.
“There is no decrease in participation,” he said, noting that his business has been doing drug testing for 20 years.
In the past, some schools treated positive drug testing results with “zero tolerance,” Prueter said. But most schools now realize it does no good to kick kids out of school for doing drugs. Though it will be up to the school board to set the district’s policy, Prueter said schools often give students two options if they test positive for drugs or alcohol:
- Plan A requires the student to get as assessment to determine the seriousness of the problem, then get counseling. They will not be kicked out of extra-curriculars, but they may be “dinged a bit,” meaning their participation may be curtailed. Once testing positive during a random check, they may also be tested more often during future tests.
- Plan B is the less desirable alternative. If the student will not comply with Plan A, then he or she may be kicked out of extra-curriculars.
Drug testing works, Prueter said, citing the success of a past grant in Wood County that tested for marijuana in six school districts for three years. While marijuana use went up elsewhere, the use in those districts decreased, he said.
“It’s not going to eradicate drug use at school,” he said, but added, “the program does work.”
Prueter said most schools set up drug testing programs based on the school board’s discretion of how often the tests are conducted, who is tested, and what items are tested for. The tests are normally conducted at school, with randomly selected students giving urine specimens, then returning to class.
The urine samples are sent to the same labs that test airline pilots and truck drivers, he said. If a specimen test is positive, a medical review officer will call the student’s parents and see if there is a medical reason such as a prescribed medication for the positive result.
Prueter’s company offers ala carte testing, with the “Chevy” level of drug testing costing about $15 each. Some of the more costly tests can even catch alcohol use that occurred up to 80 hours prior to the test, so weekend drinking could be identified during a Monday test.
Most school districts consider drug testing to be a 365-day program, so students can be tested anytime during the year, not just during their sport’s season. All students would be required to sign drug testing consent forms when they sign up for extra-curriculars.
Prueter said he would be willing to attend a public meeting on drug testing to explain the program and answer questions from the community.
Also at the school board meeting, seventh grade science teachers Kristi Krupp and Paula Williams talked about their Portage River program and the community connections that help make it possible.
Each year 250 seventh graders are taken to the Portage River at William Henry Harrison Park to learn about the health of the river ecosystem. To help finance the program, partnerships have been formed with the city of Bowling Green, Wood County Park District, Wood County Solid Waste District, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
The partners help provide for transportation costs, equipment and speakers with expertise, helping to teach the students, “there are scientists all around them,” Williams said.
At the Portage River, the student teams shuffle up the river bottom and bring up nets full of macro vertebrates. The variety and numbers help determine the health of the river, Krupp said.
The students learn about storm drain pollution, agricultural runoff and other items that affect the health of waterways.
In other business at the board of education meeting:
- Sophia Kelly and Chloe Higgins led the Pledge of Allegiance and shook hands with board members. Sophia was selected for the 2017 All State Children’s Choir in Cleveland next spring. And Chloe was one of three finalists in the NFL Rush Kids Reporter Contest.
- Toby Snow was hired as the school’s transportation director.
- The board learned about a total of $4,480 in donations made to the district, many in memory of loved ones.
- Scruci noted that lacrosse has been recognized as a varsity sport by the Ohio High School Athletics Association.
- It was announced the next school board meeting will be Oct. 18 at 5 p.m., in the high school library.
