A new drug testing policy was put into place this 2017-2018 school year to help resolve the drug problems that the high school has been troubled with. The policy includes students agreeing to random drug testing in order to obtain a parking pass, or to be in any sport or extracurricular activity all year – whether seasonal or not.

  The previous policy included students only being drug tested during an athlete’s sports season. There was no drug testing requirement for parking pass and only kids involved in other activities were drug tested if the director/sponsor requested it.

  According to the administrators, this new policy has helped get diversity when drug testing, so that the same students are not drug tested repeatedly.

  “I get drug tested every single time they drug test,” senior Hannah Chapman said.

  “By adding to the pool to where you have to be in it all year, instead of just during your season, it expands the pool where we won’t have the same five kids being drug test all year,” principal Randy Luebbert said.

  The new policy was put into place to keep the school safe. The administrators think the policy will only better the school.

  “I think it’s excellent. If people have kids in the parking lot, you want them to be safe. I don’t have a problem with it at all. It was my idea,” Luebbert said.

  Students think it’s going to make the school safer and better-protected from substance use addictions.

  “I think it was needed, so young adults can stay away and not get addicted at a young age. I think it will keep the student body safer,” senior Gabriella Flores said.

  Some students think this new policy is going to help decrease the drug issue in school.

  “I love the new drug testing policy. I think it will prevent kids from doing drugs as almost everyone is in the pool now,” Chapman said.

  While some of the students think it is a fantastic idea, some think it might not be.

  “This new policy is going to be an excuse for kids that do drugs not to come to school,” junior Chloe Lux said.

  Some students think the drug problem will not improve due to the policy and could even potentially increase.

  “Kids are going to do what they want anyway. This won’t stop anything. It will just make kids more careful and sneaky. Some kids might go farther into drugs or do it more often just because they were told not to,” senior Kaylee Moody said.

  Most students think that the policy will be a blend of both negative and positive outcomes. They believe that everything will probably stay the same. There will be kids that think they can outsmart it and others who will be scared straight.

  “There will probably be less drugs and probably fewer students,” junior Ciara Cooper said.