Boardman makes drug testing mandatory for extra-curricular activities

BOARDMAN

The Boardman Board of Education adopted revisions to its drug testing program, now mandatory for high school extra-curricular activities.

The drug testing program at Boardman High School had been voluntary until now. The new policy, adopted at the board’s meeting Monday, will require any student wanting to participate in high school extra-curricular activities to be drug-tested.

Following the initial drug screening, students will be selected for follow-up testing on a random basis throughout the school year.

The committee looking into the idea of a mandatory drug testing policy was made up of a cross-section of community members, said Kimberly Poma, board vice president.

“It gives the board comfort in knowing that a lot of perspectives were involved in the process,” she said. “And it’s important for our kids’ futures.”

According to the new policy, extra-curricular activities are defined as activities where participation is a privilege, not a right, and where students do not receive a grade. Included are parking, athletics, school dances, and field trips.

Students will be required to give a 90- to 120-strand hair sample from the crown of their head for testing. Students with insufficient head hair will have body hair collected from their arm, leg or underarm.

Five drug classes, including cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine and phencyclidine, will be tested. The test covers a period of approximately 90 days of an individual’s drug use.

The district will pay for the testing, at a cost of $25,000 to $30,000 annually. If a student tests positive for drug use, however, they will be subject to further testing at the expense of a parent or guardian.

The revisions to the drug testing policy were first discussed at the board’s March meeting, and were met with support from those who attended.