Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 Source: Orange County Review (VA) Website: http://www.dailyprogress.com/orangenews/ Author: Gracie Hart Brooks OCPS EVALUATING DRUG SCREENING POLICY FOR STUDENTS Under a new proposed plan, some Orange County students may soon undergo drug testing. An Orange County Public Schools committee, comprised of parents, students, coaches, activities directors and administrators, has spent the past several weeks working on a plan that would screen students for drug use. The plan would only affect those students in grades 6-12 who participate in competitive extracurricular activities and Virginia High School League related activities-sports, band, JROTC, Orange County B.A.S.S. Anglers and more. It wouldn't affect co-cirricular activities such as Future Business Leaders of America and Future Farmers of America. The idea to drug test students came about as a result of a recent youth risk behavior survey. The survey was given in March to students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades. The questions asked about risky behaviors related to violence, personal safety, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, technology use, sexual behaviors, unhealthy dietary behaviors and physical activity. More than 550 students completed the survey, ranging in age from 13-18, with 292 eighth-graders, 186 10th-graders and 120 12th-graders. Parents were given the option to keep their children from taking the survey through an opt-out procedure. The results of the survey were presented to the school board in late May and showed that students are doing more than just studying and taking tests. As for the core measures-alcohol, tobacco and marijuana-Orange County Public Schools Director of Student Services Eugene Kotulka reported that 22.9 percent of middle school and 44.9 percent of high school students said they had used alcohol in the past 30 days with the average onset of use being 10.6 years-old for middle-schoolers and 12.2 years-old for high-schoolers. More than 64 percent of middle school and 60 percent of high school students said alcohol use is harmful and 76 percent of middle school and 66.6 percent of high school students said their parents would disapprove. According to survey results, 14.1 percent of middle school students and 26.2 percent of high school students used tobacco in the past 30 days, with the average age on onset as 10.9 years-old for middle school and 12.6 years-old for high sc! hool. More than 82 percent of middle school and 84 percent of high school students said smoking is harmful and 93.1 percent of middle school and 85 percent of high school students said their parents would disapprove. With marijuana, 15.2 percent of middle school and 34.8 percent of high school students reported use in the past 30 days with the average onset 10.8 years-old for middle school and 12.8 years-old for high school. More than 73 percent of middle school and 48 percent of high school students said marijuana is harmful and 92.1 percent of middle school and 79.7 percent of high school students said their parents would disapprove. As for prescription drugs, 8.3 percent of middle school and 12.9 percent of high school students reported using them in the past 30 days with the age of onset 9.7 years-old for middle school and 13.3 years-old for high school. In both age groups, 89 percent of students reported the use of prescription drugs as harmful and 95.6 pe! rcent of middle school and 90.7 percent of high school studen! ts said there parents would disapprove. As for other drug use, which has the 2011 local statistics as well as national statistics for comparison, 6.6 percent of middle school and 12.9 percent of high school students report having used cocaine in their lifetime, up from 6.2 and 6.6 percent in 2011 and compared to 6.8 percent nationally. More than 15 percent of middle school and 17.1 percent of high school students used inhalants, compared to 11.4 percent nationally. In 2011, 20.6 percent and 9.1 percent reported using the drugs. As for synthetic marijuana, new to the survey this year and with no national comparison, 13 percent of middle school and 24.7 percent of high school student reported having used the substance. "With cocaine, we received a report from the sheriff's office that it is being used more than before in this area," Kotulka said. He said the increases in the survey results about the drug seemed to follow suit. The survey also asked questions regarding depression, suicide and other health-related issues. More information about those results and more can be obtained by contacting Kotulka at 661-4550. In the meantime, administrators are working to combat all of the problems highlighted by the survey. Drug testing arose as one of the options. "Clearly we have a seen a rise in the use of marijuana," District 3 school board member Judy Carter said at a recent school board meeting. She then asked if drug testing would be a possibility. Other school board members said they too were interested in discussing the possibility of drug testing. According to Kotulka, two Virginia school divisions currently conduct drug testing-Salem City Public Schools and Pulaski County Public Schools. He said the testing would be done via oral swabs or urinalysis. He said the school division would work with a company that would assign each student involved in extracurricular activities a number. The company then randomly selects numbers from among those assigned to test. The company would conduct any urinalysis testing while a school administrator would conduct any testing done via oral swabs. The tests would then be submitted to the company which would screen them and contact the school with any positive results. Special care would be taken to ensure the positive result isn't due to a prescription the student has been issued. Parents will be contacted for verification of any prescriptions. Also, Kotulka said confidentiality is very important and the tests and their results will be kept confidential. For students who test positive, there will be a four-step system. For the first positive test, a student will be suspended from 20 percent of their contests, so an athlete, for example, would miss 20 percent of their team's games. The student would also be placed into an education program regarding substance abuse with parental participation as well. A student who tests positive a second time would miss 50 percent of their contests and go through an even more intense education program. A third positive test would mean a one-year suspension from activities for the student and a fourth test would suspend the student from participating in activities for the remainder of their school career. "It isn't meant to be punitive," Kotulka said. "The idea is to be aggressive in working to prevent the issue and provide early intervention." "Participation in extracurricular activities is a priviledge," Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bob Grimesey said. Both high school and middle school students who participate in extracurricular activities would be submitted to testing on a random basis according to their activity's schedule. For example, Kotulka said a football player could be tested from the start of the football season to the end of the football season. The testing is expected to cost approximately $5,000 to $7,000 annually. Kotulka said it will be funded through the student services budget. He hopes to have the plan in place before the start of the fall sports season. School board members are expected to discuss the proposal further at its July 29 work session. Any vote would be taken during the Aug. 5 regular meeting. A public comment session on the issue is expected to occur at that same meeting. In the meantime, anyone wishing to comment on the proposal is encouraged to contact Kotulka at 661-4550