"We're trying to gather parent feedback on whether we should continue and expand the program," said Katherine Loudon, program coordinator of Safe and Drug Free Schools, who was prepared with a PowerPoint presentation and plenty of information.
In August, the district's Board of Trustees approved a pilot program for Reno's McQueen High School to randomly test student athletes for 15 weeks.
The drug testing is meant to help deter or reduce frequent drug use among teens as they prepare for a workforce that may require testing as a condition of employment, Loudon said. It could also give teens a "pitch line" to discourage peer pressure.
The program tested for 11 substances. A medical review officer was assigned to oversee the testing process and to maintain its accuracy.
The students were chosen at random and confidentially, then assigned a number, which had nothing to do with their student identification or other personal information. Students were directed into a private restroom with blue agent in the toilet, the sink was blocked and the students gave a urine sample in a cup.
The sample was tested both by substance and temperature, then split into two separate cylinders. If the first cylinder tested non-negative, the medical review officer would check the second sample and it was analyzed for adulteration and dilution, Loudon said.
Chain of custody was important for the testing, she added.
"Our school district really wants to make sure we're going to do this in the most secure and accurate way and involvement of the medical review officer is key," she said.
The McQueen pilot program tested all of its varsity players — about one-third of its junior varsity and about one-quarter of the freshman football players, Loudon said.
The results showed there were zero non-negatives among all those tested. In a DVD presentation at Monday's meeting, McQueen football coach Ken Dalton and athletic director Eric Borja said the outcome was encouraging. Students gave testimonies praising the process and how it seems to make a difference in their athletics and the lives of their peers.
In addition to the testing, the district gave out written surveys with more than 100 questions about drug use, the random testing process and their opinion on the testing process and whether they were comfortable with the idea.
If the program is approved and expanded district-wide by the Board of Trustees in January, funds for the program would be prioritized first for students who participate in the school's athletic program, then those engaged in competitive, extracurricular, school-sponsored activities, such as speech or debate, and finally a voluntary testing program for students who have parental consent to participate in the program.
The purpose of the program is early identification and drug abuse prevention, Loudon said. If a student were to test positive, the district would find help for them.
"We have tried to work with agencies in the community that serve youth," said Lauren Ohlin, grant analyst for the district. "We would want everyone identified as positive to have an evaluation and talk to someone or their parents and try to get resources."
Two more parent meetings will be held: one on Monday at the Spanish Springs High School theater and one on Dec. 15 at the Reno High School theater.
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