by Pat Millican ‘15 and Alastair Pearson ‘14
Mandatory, randomized drug testing for all students at Saint Ignatius High School begins in Fall 2014. The non-invasive hair follicle testing is the core component of a “Wellness Initiative” designed to eliminate drug use in the student body through a preventative, non-punitive public health program in conjunction with Saint Edward High School and Gilmour Academy.
Hair samples of the entire student community will be conducted in the fall, followed by “periodic random sampling throughout the year,” according to a letter to parents from Principal Bradesca and President Murphy.
The administration’s FAQ specified that tests will be capable of detecting “cocaine, marijuana, opiates (including heroin, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone and hydromorphone), methamphetamines, ecstasy (MDMA), Eve (MDEA) and phencyclidine (PCP).”
Bradesca announced the program at an assembly on April 29, while an email describing the program’s scope and intent was sent to the school network, the classes of 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and their parents on Tuesday morning.
“Our students face constant pressure to experiment with illegal substances,” Bradesca and President Murphy said. “Drug abuse is probably the largest single threat to high school achievement facing our country today.”
The program is also intended to give students a credible excuse for refusing to use drugs.
“Given the scale of peer pressure during the high school years, this program will arm our students with a very effective ‘out’ – they will be tested,” Bradesca and Murphy said. In his announcement to the students at an assembly Tuesday morning, Bradesca said that the tests will also be an “out” for parents who don’t want to be the bad guys in confronting their sons about drug abuse.
The school’s top two administrators noted the public health heroin crisis Cuyahoga County faces, and the fact that heroin addiction caused more deaths in 2013 than homicides or car accidents.
“We know that substance abuse often begins with casual drug and alcohol use during the teen years,” the letter said. “We believe this testing will save them from long-term problems related to abuse and addiction.”
There will be no maximum number of positive tests before expulsion, and no “three strikes” program, according to Dean of Teachers Mr. Ptak. Neither the office of the Dean of Students nor colleges will receive records of positive tests, although results may be made available to law enforcement following valid subpoenas or court orders. Instead, the results of failed drug tests will be made available to the student, his parents, and the counseling department.
Ptak estimated that the cost of the tests, which will be conducted by licensed professionals working for Psychmedics Inc., will average out at roughly $30 per test, including administration. Hair follicle testing is accurate up to approximately three months or 90 days back, while the FAQ response to questions about whether students can request retests did not clearly state whether this would be possible, instead describing the reliability of hair follicle tests.
The letter from Bradesca and Murphy conceded that the administration had no evidence that drug use at Ignatius was higher than elsewhere, although they emphasized that there was a wider drug problem in American society, and critiqued the recent legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington.
According to the FAQ, the drug testing does not constitute a violation of student privacy because hair follicle testing avoids the “embarrassment” of a urine sample.
Parents with concerns are directed to attend the parent meeting on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 p.m. in Rade Dining Hall, where school administrators, counselors, and George Elder of Psychmedics will be present to answer questions.
