A Catholic high school in Ohio said it will begin drug testing students in January 2020.
Stephen T. Badin High School said this week it will institute the mandatory testing as part of a health and wellness initiative.
"The impact of drug use on young students and their families is staggering and our community is not immune to this issue," the school said in a letter on its website.
Stephen T. Badin High School is in Hamilton, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.
Students were made aware of the policy at an assembly Tuesday.
The school said this “aggressive stance against the threat of drug use” is a tool to fight peer pressure and “can provide parents greater peace of mind.”
All students will be tested at least once a year under the policy. Students may also be tested at random and if suspected by a school official of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
If a student tests positive, a parent or guardian must be notified and the student must undergo an evaluation by a medical professional and be tested again within 90 days. A refusal to take a test will be considered a positive test.
“We believe that there is a spiritual aspect to all drug and alcohol abuse and that the abuse of these substances is an attempt on some level to fill a void that was meant to be filled only by God,” the school said in a statement on its website.
