Texas district to drug-test kids as young as 12

Children as young as 12 must take drug tests starting this school year under a new policy by a school district in the US state of Texas.

The Board of Trustees of the Bushland Independent School District in Potter County has agreed to require drug-testing for students in grades seven to 12 who want to take part in some extracurricular school activities. The district debated the proposed program for about a year before deciding to implement it. Superintendent Chris Wigington said that the school district did not have a problem with drugs but wanted to be ‘proactive’ to avoid problems from developing and to maintain a ‘drug-free environment.’

Students will participate in the drug tests if they want to take part in a myriad of extracurricular activities, including the gaming club, the football team, and the yearbook. Students must also pass a drug test to get a permit to park their cars on campus. Certified contractors will conduct the tests, which will focus on opiates, heroin, methamphetamines, amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, and alcohol.

Wigington said that students who test positive for drug and alcohol use will not be suspended from school or face other academic consequences, saying “we don’t want to hurt a student academically” under the new policy. Students who fail their drug tests will be suspended from athletic competitions, extracurricular activities, and on-campus parking for a maximum of one year.