Post by gatormom on Jul 24, 2008 19:21:33 GMT -5
Drug tests coming to Driscoll Catholic
By Elisabeth Mistretta
Daily Herald Staff
7/23/2008 4:48 PM
In addition to their exams in math, science, English and elective courses, students at Driscoll Catholic High School will have one more test they must ace this fall: a drug test.
Starting in September, mandatory drug tests will be administered to all students through the company Psychemedics, a measure school officials voted to adopt in May. Under the new policy, all students will submit a hair sample for testing at the beginning of the school year, then will be subject to one more random test during the year.
Approximately 350 students attend the Addison school, according to the Joliet Diocese Web site.
Driscoll principal Fred Muehleman said, with the exception of a few parents concerned with privacy, most parents have shared "tremendously positive" feedback with Driscoll.
"It's a way of helping parents keep track of their child's behavior and another tool for parents and schools to help keep kids safe," Muehleman said. "It also eliminates the gray area of having to wonder if a student is using drugs or not, because the test doesn't lie."
Each family will pay for their student's own drug test, with a $60 fee charged during registration that covers the first test and the random follow-up. If a test comes back positive, school dean Patrick Ryan will meet with the student and the student's parents to discuss substance abuse counseling and discipline. The family also will pay another $60 for a third follow-up test, if it's required.
The test detects drug intake from the past 90 days and looks for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamines, PCP and ecstasy; It does not screen for steroids or alcohol. According to literature distributed to parents, the test also can detect light, heavy or moderate drug use and the window of time when a substance was used.
One positive test does not equal expulsion, Muehleman said.
"The goal isn't to punish students," he said. "We hope this will give them one more reason to say no if they're in a situation with drugs."
Before adopting the new policy, Driscoll officials consulted with other local Catholic schools who also conduct random drug testing, such as St. Patrick High School in Chicago and St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights.
The Rev. Mick Egan, president of St. Viator, said his school's first round of random drug testing in the 2007-08 school year proved successful.
"The fundamental reason we started to program was to be proactive and, if a student tests positive, to provide an opportunity for them to meet with us and for everyone to address the issue," Egan said.
When the program was implemented at St. Viator, two families from its student body of almost 1,100 withdrew from the school. More than a year later, the school conducted approximately 1,500 drug tests and Egan said only about 10 came back positive. Not one student was expelled.
Driscoll officials are counting on similar acceptance in their school, since Muehleman said the program will be permanent.
"It's not going to be an experiment," he said.
By Elisabeth Mistretta
Daily Herald Staff
7/23/2008 4:48 PM
In addition to their exams in math, science, English and elective courses, students at Driscoll Catholic High School will have one more test they must ace this fall: a drug test.
Starting in September, mandatory drug tests will be administered to all students through the company Psychemedics, a measure school officials voted to adopt in May. Under the new policy, all students will submit a hair sample for testing at the beginning of the school year, then will be subject to one more random test during the year.
Approximately 350 students attend the Addison school, according to the Joliet Diocese Web site.
Driscoll principal Fred Muehleman said, with the exception of a few parents concerned with privacy, most parents have shared "tremendously positive" feedback with Driscoll.
"It's a way of helping parents keep track of their child's behavior and another tool for parents and schools to help keep kids safe," Muehleman said. "It also eliminates the gray area of having to wonder if a student is using drugs or not, because the test doesn't lie."
Each family will pay for their student's own drug test, with a $60 fee charged during registration that covers the first test and the random follow-up. If a test comes back positive, school dean Patrick Ryan will meet with the student and the student's parents to discuss substance abuse counseling and discipline. The family also will pay another $60 for a third follow-up test, if it's required.
The test detects drug intake from the past 90 days and looks for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, methamphetamines, PCP and ecstasy; It does not screen for steroids or alcohol. According to literature distributed to parents, the test also can detect light, heavy or moderate drug use and the window of time when a substance was used.
One positive test does not equal expulsion, Muehleman said.
"The goal isn't to punish students," he said. "We hope this will give them one more reason to say no if they're in a situation with drugs."
Before adopting the new policy, Driscoll officials consulted with other local Catholic schools who also conduct random drug testing, such as St. Patrick High School in Chicago and St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights.
The Rev. Mick Egan, president of St. Viator, said his school's first round of random drug testing in the 2007-08 school year proved successful.
"The fundamental reason we started to program was to be proactive and, if a student tests positive, to provide an opportunity for them to meet with us and for everyone to address the issue," Egan said.
When the program was implemented at St. Viator, two families from its student body of almost 1,100 withdrew from the school. More than a year later, the school conducted approximately 1,500 drug tests and Egan said only about 10 came back positive. Not one student was expelled.
Driscoll officials are counting on similar acceptance in their school, since Muehleman said the program will be permanent.
"It's not going to be an experiment," he said.
