New policy may subject athletes to drug testing
By Sierra Henry
Published in News on August 1, 2018 5:50 AM
Athletes, cheerleaders and band members may all be subjected to random drug testing under a new policy being considered by the Wayne County Board of Education.
The board's policy committee, which is made up of board members Christopher West, Jennifer Strickland and Patricia Burden, met Tuesday and reviewed a draft policy regarding random drug testing of school athletes and other students who are involved in certain extracurricular activities.
The topic was brought to the attention of the Board of Education after West investigated how other school districts were handling the issue of drug use with their students. Representatives from the Goldsboro-based Absolute Assurance Drug Testing company gave a presentation to the board on July 23 about potential options for the school after West reached out to the company.
"I just started looking into it, contacting the company that's doing some of the testing for some of the other districts to see about putting together a drug testing policy for Wayne County public school students," West said. "Again, it's not meant as a punishment. It's meant to help and deter kids from (using drugs) ...
"After all, the society we live in today, drugs are very prevalent. Anything we can do to help our kids."
The policy committee discussed the topic of drug testing and asked board attorneys to provide further information to better inform the committee about drug testing policies.
West said he believes that random drug testing can be used as a strong deterrent to stop students from using drugs.
"A young teenager who grows up in society today, they're hit with the national drug scene everywhere they go," West said. "We're charged as board members to provide a safe learning environment for all students.
"If we save one life, it's worth the effort."
While the county has not seen an increase in reports of students using drugs, Strickland said there has been an increase in the use of drugs overall in society. Strickland also said that heroin is increasing in use because of how cheap the drug is.
"This is another tool for the students to use as a way to say no," Strickland said of the proposal. "This may save a child."
The policy committee, which took no action on the proposal, will continue to work with the board to iron out the details regarding the random drug testing policy.