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District reports seven positive student drug tests, $9,000 annual cost; staff weigh mouth‑swab testing
Summary
District HR presented a year-end report on the student extracurricular drug-testing program: seven positive tests for the school year, about $9,000 in expenditures, consideration of switching from urine to mouth‑swab testing next year.
Human-resources staff summarized the first year of the district's student extracurricular drug-testing program and discussed operational lessons and cost choices.
The report: HR presenter Verita said the program rolled out in September at the district's four secondary campuses. In the initial month at Garden City High School 20 students were tested and two results were positive for marijuana; across the remainder of the year the district recorded five additional positives for a total of seven.
Process and privacy: The district used a third-party vendor (AccelaCare) to randomize and administer tests; administrators did not see lists of selected students in advance, and positive results were handled by the testing coordinator and vendor before building administrators were notified. Refusal to test is treated as a positive result under the policy, the presenter said.
Costs and next steps: Total expenditures for the year were “right around $9,000,” Verita said. The district discussed whether to continue urine testing or move to mouth-swab testing. The presenter gave per-test figures: moving into next year the district expects urine testing to cost about $45 per test and mouth-swab testing about $65 per test; a swab is faster but more expensive. The district also plans to embed opt-in/opt-out language in enrollment forms for next year rather than rely on paper opt-outs.
Reaction and usage: The presenter said the program drew far more compliments than complaints from parents and staff after initial process adjustments; administrators reduced testing time at buildings from multiple hours to under an hour by improving logistics. The district will refine the process and consider vendor options.
