Although just a proposal, members of Bridgeport City Council appeared to be behind an initiative that would allow for Bridgeport High School students – with their parents approval – to be randomly and voluntarily drug tested. The proposal was part of a presentation given by Angie Ferguson, the executive director of the Drug Free Clubs of America
Ferguson addressed Bridgeport City Council during a 45-minute work session Monday and then addressed Council and the audience during the regular meeting. City Manager Kim Haws said Bridgeport High School officials were aware of the program, but that no commitment had been made on their end as the process is still in its infancy stages. During the regular meeting, several Council members also said Harrison County School Board official Ken Winkie had met with Ferguson about the program Monday and gathered information.
Under the program, student members are subject to periodic, random drug tests. It’s not new to West Virginia as several schools, including Wheeling Park, are already involved. There are more than 750 state teenagers involved, as well as students from Ohio and Kentucky, in the program.
The students are rewarded for joining and for having clean drug tests. Ferguson said the members of the club receive an identification card similar to a driver’s license and that the card gets discounts at various businesses and other perks that are created once the program is started. The main goal is that it serves as a counter balance to peer pressure, said Ferguson.
The testing, said Ferguson, is not open for public scrutiny. In fact, it’s not open to educational scrutiny.
“Test results (that are positive for drug use) are between parents and me. The information is not shared with the school,” said Ferguson.
From that point, Ferguson said resources are made available to address the situation. The hope is to deter students from starting by knowing that they are going to be tested and that their parents will learn of the situation if drugs are found as a result of the testing. However, not only do the parents have to agree to participate, but the students do as well. Each student that would potentially sign up if a program is created at BHS will be asked if they want to participate by Drug Free Clubs’ representatives to make sure their signature is legitimate or that they have not been forced to sign the agreement.
To participate, it costs $67 per child. Council member Melissa Matheny wanted to know if a student’s family couldn’t afford the cost, but wanted to participate, were there ways around it.
Ferguson said that in many communities some businesses defray a portion of the cost for each student that joins. In one community, she said, a philanthropist subsidizes a large portion of the cost.
“There are ways to make it affordable,” said Ferguson for anyone facing financial hardship.
The $67 covers the cost of the testing, as well as counseling and other services. The Drug Free Clubs of America is a non-profit group that consists of Ferguson and one other employee. The drug testing is done by labs and results are reviewed by Ferguson. The schools only role is to allow the collectors – those doing the testing – to enter the schools for random testing and appearances. The school would also be asked to send out the information.
“The schools are completely removed from the testing process,” said Ferguson.
Whether it happens remains to be seen. However, the program seemed to have support from Council, which didn’t dismiss Ferguson’s presentation and has been aggressively looking for ways to combat the growing drug problem in the city, county, and region. Volunteers would also be required to handle many aspects of the program.
On Monday, the program actually received an honor from the office of U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld from the Northern District of West Virginia. The program earned the 2015 Community Outreach Award.
Former Wheeling Police Chief Robert Matheny, who lives in Bridgeport and is now the Stonewood Police Chief, worked with Ferguson in getting the program started at Wheeling Park. He offered rave reviews of the work done by the organization.
Editor's Note: Top photo is of Angie Ferguson of the Drug Free Clubs of America, while city resident and Stonewood Police Chief Robert Matheny is shown below.
I tried to go to this organizations website to get some good outreach info. But guess what it doesn't exist anymore, gone. No more website.
Posted by Tim Casten May. 13, 2015 at 5:40 PM EST
Parents and Government Officials need to do some research before jumping on this bandwagon. This is putting the “Cart before the Horse”. Instead of spending millions on these elaborate Sports Facilities, you need to spend some money on Community Outreach and Substance Abuse Programs, along with Rehabilitation Facilities.
It appears the mindset is let’s violate our children’s 4th amendment right and subject them to an embarrassing Urine test. Do any of you even know what the most abused drug currently in our Schools is? I’m sure you’re not even planning on testing for this socially acceptable drug. It is well documented that this type of testing does nothing to stop or curtail current abuse by High School Student. Statistics show it costs on the average of $3,000.00 in testing to get one positive result. This was using the National Average of the cost of tests at $24.00 per student. I see you are planning on charging $68.00 per test. Why 3 times the National Average? Like I said in my first post this is nothing but a money making test for profit scheme. Yes, collectors make their money on the amount of specimens’ they collect. I know this as Union President, I was involved protecting the rights of my fellow Air Traffic Controllers every time they were subjected to Random Drug Testing. Who will be on hand to protect the rights of the students? Who will insure that a Random Test is really random? Who will insure the “chain of custody” for each sample is protected and certified? Who will insure that a sample is split before contaminated, so the student can send the other sample to a lab of their choice, in case of a false positive? Who will insure that students are briefed on their rights during drug testing and the procedure that needs to be followed? What is going to be the procedure for a "Bashful Bladder", it happens, are you going to keep the kid out of school the rest of the day, until he produces? Legally he/she has to be in direct observation from the time they are identified until the time they produce. You don’t understand the can of worms your opening up, both legally and morally. Will the parents be called to school for each child tested to insure their rights are not violated?
Do you realize the US Supreme Court has only approved In-School Drug testing for Athletes and those involved in extra-curricular activities? Other than those instances it is still a violation of a student’s 4th Amendment rights.
Why is this type of drug testing a waste of money? Well a few reasons:
1. Most of the pills abused by kids today are the so-called party drugs, many are synthetic and only show up in multi panel testing which is very expensive.
2. Many drugs such as codeine, Amphetamines, Methamphetamine, Morphine and LSD are only detected in the Urine for up to 2 days, majority of kids say they are sporadic users of pills, or other drugs, therefore it is statistically proven you’re not going to get positive results from most.
3. Even Heroin is only detectable up to two days from use in urine samples.
4. Many of the drugs that are now used to treat ADHD, ADD, Epilepsy, etc. will cause false positive in these cheap urine tests. What happens then are the parents going to be subjected to ridicule and spending money to prove that their child is not a drug addict?
What happens to the student who tests positive? Are they kicked out of school? Sent to substance abuse programs? Lose their Promis Scholarship? Slapped on the wrist and told not to do it again? Or, are they then forced to attend a Drug Prevention Program? Most of this could be avoided by being more proactive in Drug and Abuse Educational Programs taught in the schools. Back to my beginning point drug testing is not the answer a really good well informed educational program is. Many Parents need to be educated into the dangerous effects of the “Party Drugs” that include; Ectasy, Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine.
The one drug that is most favored by high school students, and which is also the most hazardous to their health: alcohol, is only briefly talked about and never tested. Why is this?
One last point I want to make in the world of HEPA Violations, a student is not required to make known his medication he takes, to require such would be a violation of HEPA.
I tried to go to this organizations website to get some good outreach info. But guess what it doesn't exist anymore, gone. No more website.
Posted by Tim Casten
May. 13, 2015 at 5:40 PM EST
Parents and Government Officials need to do some research before jumping on this bandwagon. This is putting the “Cart before the Horse”. Instead of spending millions on these elaborate Sports Facilities, you need to spend some money on Community Outreach and Substance Abuse Programs, along with Rehabilitation Facilities.
It appears the mindset is let’s violate our children’s 4th amendment right and subject them to an embarrassing Urine test. Do any of you even know what the most abused drug currently in our Schools is? I’m sure you’re not even planning on testing for this socially acceptable drug. It is well documented that this type of testing does nothing to stop or curtail current abuse by High School Student. Statistics show it costs on the average of $3,000.00 in testing to get one positive result. This was using the National Average of the cost of tests at $24.00 per student. I see you are planning on charging $68.00 per test. Why 3 times the National Average? Like I said in my first post this is nothing but a money making test for profit scheme. Yes, collectors make their money on the amount of specimens’ they collect. I know this as Union President, I was involved protecting the rights of my fellow Air Traffic Controllers every time they were subjected to Random Drug Testing. Who will be on hand to protect the rights of the students? Who will insure that a Random Test is really random? Who will insure the “chain of custody” for each sample is protected and certified? Who will insure that a sample is split before contaminated, so the student can send the other sample to a lab of their choice, in case of a false positive? Who will insure that students are briefed on their rights during drug testing and the procedure that needs to be followed? What is going to be the procedure for a "Bashful Bladder", it happens, are you going to keep the kid out of school the rest of the day, until he produces? Legally he/she has to be in direct observation from the time they are identified until the time they produce. You don’t understand the can of worms your opening up, both legally and morally. Will the parents be called to school for each child tested to insure their rights are not violated? Do you realize the US Supreme Court has only approved In-School Drug testing for Athletes and those involved in extra-curricular activities? Other than those instances it is still a violation of a student’s 4th Amendment rights. Why is this type of drug testing a waste of money? Well a few reasons: 1. Most of the pills abused by kids today are the so-called party drugs, many are synthetic and only show up in multi panel testing which is very expensive. 2. Many drugs such as codeine, Amphetamines, Methamphetamine, Morphine and LSD are only detected in the Urine for up to 2 days, majority of kids say they are sporadic users of pills, or other drugs, therefore it is statistically proven you’re not going to get positive results from most. 3. Even Heroin is only detectable up to two days from use in urine samples. 4. Many of the drugs that are now used to treat ADHD, ADD, Epilepsy, etc. will cause false positive in these cheap urine tests. What happens then are the parents going to be subjected to ridicule and spending money to prove that their child is not a drug addict? What happens to the student who tests positive? Are they kicked out of school? Sent to substance abuse programs? Lose their Promis Scholarship? Slapped on the wrist and told not to do it again? Or, are they then forced to attend a Drug Prevention Program? Most of this could be avoided by being more proactive in Drug and Abuse Educational Programs taught in the schools. Back to my beginning point drug testing is not the answer a really good well informed educational program is. Many Parents need to be educated into the dangerous effects of the “Party Drugs” that include; Ectasy, Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine. The one drug that is most favored by high school students, and which is also the most hazardous to their health: alcohol, is only briefly talked about and never tested. Why is this? One last point I want to make in the world of HEPA Violations, a student is not required to make known his medication he takes, to require such would be a violation of HEPA.
Posted by Tim Casten
May. 13, 2015 at 3:39 PM EST
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