SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Starting in the fall, students at St. Xavier High School will be subject to random drug testing, principal Terry Tyrrell announced Wednesday. The drug testing will be included as part of the school’s wellness program.
“We believe now is the time to start this wellness initiative because of the growing threat of drugs and alcohol to adolescents,” Tyrrell said in a written statement. “Like all teenagers, our students face constant pressure to experiment with illegal substances.”
St. Xavier officials said the school is following the lead of local Catholic high schools and other Jesuit high schools
Recent decriminalization of marijuana in some states is a motivating factor for testing, Tyrrell added.
“This program gives students an easy reason to say no because they know they will be tested,” the principal wrote.
St. Xavier contracted with Psychemedics, a provider of hair analysis drug testing, for the random hair testing. In a document of facts and questions, school officials said many drugs can be detected in hair samples for 90 days. Drugs can be undetectable in urine after about 72 hours.
The school will test for a number of drugs including cocaine, opiates, marijuana and Adderall. Students will not be tested for alcohol because the threshold for the alcohol test is too high.
All students will be tested in the fall at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.
See the school’s full list of frequently asked questions below:
St. Xavier Drug Testing by WCPO Web Team on Scribd
