One Virginia school district seeks to set up drug screening policy

Officials from Abigndon, Viriginia school district are close to implementing a drug-testing policy for its students, reports The Register-Mail.

The District 217 drug-testing policy committee is currently examining other districts' policies and collecting data regarding student drug use. Officials told the news source that they might have a drug screening policy in place by May.

One committee member noted that the drug screening policy is not designed to catch troubled teens using illicit substances. Instead, it will act as a deterrent and help create an environment that shows that the school does not accept drug use.

Similar to other schools that recently implemented a drug testing policy, District 217 will screen students who participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports. These teens will be tested twice per quarter, for a total of eight times throughout the academic year.

According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 21.8 million individuals age 12 or older reported using an illicit drug in the 30 days prior to the study.