Very soon after the top administrators of Ohio County Schools introduced a possible drug-testing plan for some public-school students, they heard many negative reactions from residents of the county.
Superintendent Dr. Kim Miller and Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones explained on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) that the program involving testing student/athletes, participants in extra-curricular activities, and students that drive to Wheeling Park High School was soundly rejected by the majority of those voicing opinions very soon after LEDE News introduced the idea to readers on Feb. 29.
“We were in the middle of the debate when the pandemic closed the schools, and we did get a large response from the public,” Jones explained. “People were awesome and respectful, regardless of what side they sat on. No one made it ugly at all, and I think it’s because everyone understands everyone involved is just trying to help the kids.
“So we are still in the middle of that discussion because there’s really been no way to continue it because we have been concentrating on the continued learning from home and with the meal distribution programs,” he said. “Plus, I was working a lot with Dr. (Gregory) Merrick from Wheeling Hospital, and he has since announced that he is leaving the area.”
Conversation to Continue
A similar drug-testing program was implemented in Wood County prior to the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, and Jones utilized that model when formulating the proposal for Ohio County. In Wood County, however, random drug tests took place, but in Ohio County, all participants and motorists would be tested prior to the beginning of each season.
“For now, I believe that debate will have to wait until things get back to as normal as they can be, and when that happens, we’ll bring it back up again,” Jones said. “It’s something that we really wanted input from the community on because it would not have been the right thing to do without it.
“And so far, it sounds like most people we have heard from are against it,” he said. “We have heard from people who work in social services, and they have explained that it’s not what the experts in that field recommend as a preventative measure. Instead, they suggested more education.”
A Reason
The education part is part of the proposal but would not be delivered unless a positive test was registered, Dr. Miller explained, and there has not been a discussion concerning any kind of suspension. Punishment, in other words, has not been determined.
“What we really wanted to do with it is give the kids a reason not to make those choices, but instead say that they want to be on this team or that team and have a very good reason to say no when those drugs are offered or available,” the superintendent explained. “We are going to continue the conversation at some point, and the bottom line is that we are going to do whatever we can to keep these children safe.
“Now, we didn’t go about it the way they did in Wood County,” Miller said. “They didn’t ask for anyone’s opinion. They just implemented it and moved forward, but that’s not how we want to go about these kinds of programs because we value the opinions of the people in Ohio County.”
