Las Vegas NowI-Team: High School Drug Testing Expanding?

I-Team: High School Drug Testing Expanding?

HENDERSON, Nv. -- Surrounded by friends and fellow Green Valley Gators, Jena Chavez got right to the point. She has been through too much. Every student should be drug tested.

It was her brother. There was no testing for him at Green Valley when he went there. "And he's in his fifth rehab right now and I would have preferred that he got caught in high school rather than him still getting in rehab when he's 20-years-old," she said.

Chavez is part of a growing group who look at the testing as a radical transformation of high school. They want all students to participate in random screenings. Right now, only athletes and those in activities participate. Parents can opt-in their children if the student is not involved in a club or sport.

Early Success

Green Valley Principal Jeff Horn was the first to implement the program after athletes were found using black tar heroin. Since then, the program has expanded and continues to use a $450,000 grant.

Horn stresses a message about accountability, but also transparency. "I'm the first one tested every year and I put my results up on the bathroom wall where kids go in there so they can see that the principal is tested," he said with a smile.

Green Valley has been the Clark County School District's success story. After the revelations of heroin use, the school cracked down and logged nine positive tests in 2007. In 2008, the number of tests nearly doubled and only netted 11 positive drug tests. Yet so far in 2009, Green Valley has just one test. Most of the students have tested positive for marijuana and alcohol.

Methodology Questioned-Expansion Could Help

While Green Valley and others have made significant improvements, students and an independent testing company believe changes can make the program even better.

Students are randomly chosen, but they are alerted about the day and time of the test.

"It's not a secret. We tell them many times when we're going to test, especially after big events like Prom and Homecoming," Horn said.

Student Sean Power said tipping off potential drug users hurts the system. "Whether you say it's random or not, you're going to have people who are going to try to get around it," he said.

Private lab AccuDiagnostics believes the alerts skew numbers and force drug use more underground. Jimmy Platt owns the clinic and says only surprise can unearth the true reality. "That it's done on a surprise basis, that people aren't forewarned when they're going to do it," he said.

Platt's company continues to see worried parents come to the clinic to confirm their suspicions.

His company sees the most positive tests with marijuana and alcohol. But more powerful drugs are creeping in -- mostly prescription drugs like OxyContin. The company also has had numerous tests of high school students using meth and cocaine.

Students say athletes and those in clubs know about the tests and the rules. They stay clean knowing about the punishment of suspension. The rest of the students do not. "There's still that population of students that aren't drug tested, which means that there's nothing holding them back," said Taylor Ashton.

Principal Horn says he would like more students to participate, but mandatory screening may present legal challenges. Jena Chavez understands. Rules only help those who follow them, though. "I think if it expanded to everyone, then there'd be more of a visible change," she said.

If other students could learn what she knows, positive tests may increase, but each result could be a chance to turn a life around.