CDC Study Indicates Thousands of Schools Have Random Testing Programs
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*14.6% of all public and private middle schools and high schools |
Just how many schools test students for drug use? Until recently, there has been very little national data on the prevalence of student drug testing. With no reliable mechanism to track random testing programs in public, private, and parochial schools, Federal estimates ranged from 500 to 2,000 and were based on the number of schools receiving U.S. Department of Education grants, results from surveys, and media reports. Then, in October 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a national survey, which contained questions related to student drug testing. Findings indicate that the number of schools conducting random testing may be closer to 4,000—more than double the highest estimates cited previously.
Every 6 years, the CDC conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) to gather data on the health and safety of students in public and private elementary, middle, and high schools across the country. The 2006 SHPPS1 is the largest and most comprehensive assessment of school health programs ever conducted in the United States, and it is the first one to include questions on student drug testing. SHPPS surveys teachers and administrators at the State, district, and school levels using computer-assisted telephone interviews, self-administered mail questionnaires, and computer-assisted personal interviews. Information was collected from all 50 States and the District of Columbia and included 461 school districts and 1,025 elementary, middle, and high schools. The survey sample was weighted to represent an estimated 125,333 schools nationwide.
What the Numbers Show
Out of an estimated 59,364 middle and high schools in the country, weighted survey results from the individual schools included in the SHPPS suggest that 11.4 percent of middle schools and 19.5 percent of high schools include some type of drug testing as part of their drug-prevention programs. Approximately 7 percent of the public and private middle schools and high schools in the nation, or 4,200, conduct random student drug testing.
The study also shows that public and private schools test for similar drugs. Among the public and private middle and high schools that conduct drug testing, 86 percent reported testing for marijuana, 78 percent tested for opiates (such as heroin or morphine), 77 percent tested for amphetamines (such as methamphetamine or ecstasy), 75 percent tested for cocaine, 71 percent tested for PCP, 50 percent tested for alcohol, 27 percent tested for steroids, and 16 percent tested for nicotine.
As for methods of testing, SHPPS determined that urine tests were most popular and were used by 84 percent of schools that tested. Forty percent of the schools reported using breathalyzer (breath alcohol) tests, 15 percent reported using hair tests, 8 percent reported using saliva tests, and 3 percent reported using sweat tests.
Almost all the middle and high schools that test have procedures in place to inform students and families about drug-testing and drug-use policies and what happens if a student violates school policy.
Also encouraging is the SHPPS finding that 72.2 percent of middle and high schools provided alcohol- or other drug-use treatment at schools through health services or mental health and social services staff, and 34.9 percent made arrangements for treatment through organizations or professionals outside of school.
Drug Testing as Part of a Larger Prevention Effort
Considerable progress has been made against youth drug and alcohol use. Today, 860,000 fewer young people are using drugs than in 2001. Yet researchers responsible for SHPPS caution, “more schools need to promote a positive school climate and reduce violence, injuries, and the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other substances.” As the survey indicates, thousands of schools are already conducting random student drug testing as part of ongoing efforts to promote a safe and healthy school environment. Information on how random student drug testing can contribute to these important goals is available at www.randomstudentdrugtesting.org. For more information on the CDC and the SHPPS survey, visit http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/shpps/index.htm.
Citation
1Jones SE, Fisher CJ, Greene BZ, Hertz MF, and Pritzl, J. Healthy and safe school environment, part I: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. Journal of School Health 77(8):522–543, 2007. PMID: 17908106.