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High School Drug-Testing: A positive effect
Contributed by Chris Nordby, Director of High School Services
As Director of High School Services, I regularly notify high schools in Texas, New Jersey, and Illinois that they have been randomly selected to participate in their state mandated drug-testing program. Often, I learn that the school also conducts its own drug-testing program for students in extracurricular activities. The school administrators say the programs are meant to be a deterrent to substance use, rather than a way to identify and punish students who make poor decisions. The number of high schools implementing drug-testing programs continues to rise. Studies show that drug-testing programs are having a positive impact on the students at the high school level.
Studies conducted by the Drug-Free Projects Coalition, Inc., (DFPC) show drug-testing programs are administered in approximately 21% of all school districts in the United States. It is forecasted that the number of school districts with a drug-testing program will increase about 1% every year. The programs are implemented to bring about positive change and deter students from deciding to use marijuana, alcohol and other drugs.
Additional studies by the DFPC show the positive effects of conducting a drug-testing program. A study of New Jersey high schools shows that daily attendance rates are approximately 5% higher in schools that maintain random drug-testing programs as compared to schools that don’t. Schools that conduct random drug tests also report slightly higher standardized test scores, graduation rates, and more graduates pursuing higher education. The studies compare high schools with similar socioeconomic status.
Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reveals students who abstain from using drugs and alcohol are more likely to receive higher grades than those that don’t. Of students who carry at least a B average, 72% report not using drugs or alcohol in the month leading up to the survey.
There is still a lot of room for research to be done on the effects of implementing and maintaining a drug-testing program, but the reasons for doing so are sound. Schools adopt random student drug-testing programs to decrease drug abuse among students via two routes. First, schools that conduct testing hope that random testing will serve as a deterrent, and give students a reason to resist peer pressure to take drugs. Secondly, drug testing can identify students who are making poor decisions so they can be referred for treatment. Drug use interferes with a student’s ability to learn, and it can disrupt the teaching environment. Drug-testing programs have proven to be beneficial for high school students.