The Butler Area School District’s new drug testing policy has resulted in some parents becoming aware that their child could have a drug problem.
The school board heard an update on the testing provided by a Senior High administrator during a meeting on Monday night. Out of 162 tests administered, eight have returned positive results.
One of those positive tests was as a result of doctor-prescribed pain medication for an injury. The other seven positive tests were for marijuana, including one student who has tested positive three different times.
A positive test triggers parental notification, as well as enrollment in a drug and alcohol assessment program with follow-up testing.
Starting this school year, the district required students wanting to play sports, park on campus, or participate in a variety of extracurricular activities to opt-in to drug testing. Those individuals are then added to a list of students from which a third-party company randomly selects for periodic testing. There are about 900 students on the list this year.
