Drug Testing in Schools

For the third year in a row, Oxycontin remains the drug of choice for teens in Juneau, Alaska. That’s one reason the Juneau School Board is considering both voluntary and mandatory drug testing of its student body.

Voluntary testing would reward drug-free students with special discounts at local businesses, but it’s the mandatory drug testing of high school athletes and other extracurricular participants that’s stirring controversy. A special task force is drafting a proposal to be reviewed by the school board later this summer. As Rebecca Sheir reports, some teachers and coaches say it’s about time.

You can listen to this piece at the Public Radio Exchange.

(Photo by Jeramey Jannene via Flickr/CreativeCommons)