• Illegal drug use begins in the teenage years. Nationwide, 25% of high school seniors report they have used an illegal drug within the last 30 days.

• Random Student Drug Testing (RSDT) gives students another good reason to say no. Non-punitive and confidential, RSDT complements existing drug prevention programs in the school, the family and the community.

• More than 4,000 schools throughout the nation have incorporated student drug testing into their substance abuse prevention programs. The Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. (IBH) is promoting RSDT to keep kids safe, healthy, and drug-free.

• In 2000-2001, the Student Athlete Testing Using Random Notification (SATURN) Study found that there was no decrease in sport-activity participation by students when subjected to a random drug testing program. In fact, an 11% increase in participation was found.

Examples

In 1995, the Vernonia School District in Oregon made it school policy that all athletes take a urinalysis drug test in order to participate in sports activities. The policy was challenged as unconstitutional and a violation of children's right to privacy. The Supreme Court ruling in Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton held that student drug testing for athletes is constitutional.

In 2002, Tecumseh Public Schools in Oklahoma made it school district policy that all middle and high school students consent to random urinalysis testing for drugs in order to take part in any extracurricular activities. The policy was challenged as unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures. The Supreme Court ruling in Pottawatomie County, et al. v. Lindsay Earls, et al. was held constitutional, in that "Tecumseh's Policy is a reasonable means of furthering the School District's important interest in preventing and deterring drug use among its schoolchildren and does not violate the Fourth Amendment."

What IBH Is Doing

• IBH completed a pilot assessment of RSDT programs for the U.S. Department of Education in 2003.

• IBH holds a three-year evaluation grant from the U.S. Department of Education to study RSDT in 8 schools.

• With a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA), IBH is bringing the concept of RSDT to schools in the Washington, D.C. region.

  

• IBH President, Robert L. DuPont, M.D., served as the principal expert witness in the first U.S. Supreme Court ruling on RSDT (Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton Decision)

• IBH has developed a website as a resource for schools, students, administrators and parents that provides comprehensive information about how to implement a RSDT program.