Private School Begins Testing Students for Drug and Alcohol Use

Anti-drug programs are nothing new to schools, but one private school in Illinois is taking zero tolerance to a new level. The Huffington Post reports that Catholic high school St. Viator, located in a Chicago suburb, recently started screening students for drugs and alcohol in an effort to combat the dangerous effects of drugs and underage drinking. Every week, the school uses a computerized lottery system to randomly test between 10 and 20 students. According to the school principal, Rev. Corey Brost, “We want to give kids a good reason to say, ‘No, I can't drink, St. Viator tests for alcohol.”

Rationale and Testing Methods

The school had been drug-testing students since 2007 but announced to parents this past summer that they would be adding the alcohol test this year. In addition to hoping that the random tests will inspire students to abstain from drinking, the school administration also wishes to keep alcohol from destroying young lives. Brost said, “We are a Catholic school. It's our goal to help our young people grow spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and physically, but alcohol impedes growth in all of those areas."

For the tests, St Viator High School has contracted with Psychemedrics Corporation. Based in Massachusetts, the Psychemedrics Corporation came up with the computerized lottery that randomly selects students by their identification numbers. Every week, students are selected and the school nurse or other employee administers the tests by taking a small amount of hair from the student, around 60 hairs. The hair is shipped overnight to Los Angeles, where a Psychemedric laboratory tests the samples and sends the results back to the school within five days. The testing is known for its accuracy and can detect alcohol or drugs (e.g., cocaine, marijuana, heroin, methamphetamine, prescription pain killers and ecstasy) ingested within the last 90 days. Very small traces of alcohol consumed will not show up in the test, like if students had sips of communion wine.

The Backlash

If a student receives positive results, they will not be disciplined for the first incident but will need to meet with their parents, a school administrator and a counselor, as well as receive another test 90 days later at his or her own expense. A second positive test will precipitate disciplinary actions, possibly even expulsion. Thus far, the school has had success with the random drug tests, with less than one percent testing positive on an annual basis.

With any controversial program, parents and professionals are going to voice their concerns. One group that has expressed their dissatisfaction with the testing is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). One ACLU spokesman, Ed Yohnka from Illinois, said, “We have a mechanism for controlling the behavior of young people outside of school — they’re called parents. I don't think we need schools to be acting as uber-parents." Despite their unhappiness with the program, the ACLU admits that they cannot take any action against St Viator, a private school entitled to conduct such tests.

Drug Testing in Cincinnati

Interestingly, St Viator is not the only Catholic school that has made the decision to test students for drugs. La Salle High School, an all boys’ school in Cincinnati, will begin to randomly drug test students during the 2014-15 school year. La Salle made their decision to test under some very different circumstances.

Last March, four students tried to buy marijuana from 19-year-old Dierres Lee. After the students handed Lee counterfeit money, Lee became angry and shot at the students’ car, shooting and killing 17-year-old student Justin Brown. While students are being tested on a voluntary basis this school year, Justin Brown’s story is a tragedy that the school does not want to be repeated. Bart West, police chief of Green Township, sees the tests as a wise investment. He stated, “When students face pressure when somebody asks them to use drugs, they're going to remember that they're going to face a drug test at some point in the school year, and I think it will be effective.”

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