School District in Kansas to Stop Random Drug Testing After Over 5 Years
A school district in Wichita, Kansas will drop its random drug testing policy to focus more on substance abuse prevention and education programs.
Maize school district leaders decided earlier this month to discontinue drug testing students who want to join extracurricular activities.
Under the policy, students in 7th grade and onwards should submit to a possible drug test if they want to join school-sponsored activities, such as sports, band, school dances, graduation ceremonies and even parking in the school lot.
But apart from being expensive, it appears that not all students are partial in having to go through the procedure.
Karen McDermott, spokeswoman for Maize schools, told The Wichita Eagle that the decision to drop the school district’s drug testing policy was based on the feedback they got from the school district’s administration, as well as from the students.
McDermott added that Maize spent more than $31,000 on drug testing since it began in 2007, but only four students tested positive. She said the program was financed through grant funds when it started. However, when the funding began to deplete, they were forced to get the money from the district’s general fund.
Maize, though, will still continue to drug test students suspected of drug use and utilize drug-sniffing dogs to search for illegal substances in lockers and school parking lots. McDermott also mentioned that part of Maize’s substance abuse prevention plans for next year is to train teachers and staff members to spot signs of drug and alcohol abuse.











