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DUCHESNE — The Duchesne County School Board has approved random drug testing for students participating in extracurricular activities.
The Uintah Basin Standard reports the board approved the testing Feb. 9. It will apply to students who participate in extracurricular activities in the seventh grade and up. Other students will not be part of the program unless their parents opt them in.
Altamont High School principal John Huitt told the Standard the district wants the drug testing policy to serve as a deterrent. "We don't want to punish them. We want them not to do it," he told the Standard.
If a test is positive for drugs, alcohol or tobacco, a student could face a two-week suspension on the first offense. The suspension would get longer if the student tests positive again.
Huitt says if a student tests positive, the school will not notify police. The results will be shared with the principal, coaches, athletic director and the student's parents.
Duchesne isn't the first school district to do random drug tests, but the cost of the tests has been an issue for some schools around the state. The Duchesne district has not yet released details on who will administer the tests and how it will be done. It should begin Fall semester.
