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District reports 15.6% positive rate in random drug tests for eligible high school students in 2024–25
Summary
Haywood County Schools reported 263 students tested in 2024–25 under its random drug-testing program for eligible high school students; 41 tests were positive (15.6%), up about six percentage points from the prior year.
Haywood County Schools presented its annual random drug testing report to the board and said the 2024–25 school year's testing pool included 263 students and produced 41 positive results, a 15.6 percent positivity rate.
"In that school year, we tested 263 students... and we did have 41 positives," Mr. Haines said while presenting the report, breaking the numbers down by campus: Central Haywood (11 tested, 4 positives), Haywood Early College (8 tested, 3 positives), Pisgah High School (128 tested, 14 positives) and Tuscola High School (116 tested, 20 positives). The district said it randomly tests roughly 10 percent of the eligible pool (students in grades 9–12 who participate in interscholastic athletics, voluntary activities or who hold campus parking privileges).
Mr. Haines and other board members framed the program as a deterrent: "If this deters one kid from starting down the path of drugs it is worth the investment," a board member said during discussion.
The program is administered under contract with an outside laboratory (Wolf Labs) and the district described the testing as limited to eligible students rather than the entire student population. No further policy changes were proposed at the meeting.
