Beaver Dam High School may have random drug testing in the future for students who participate in co-curricular activities and students who park in a school district parking lot.
Administrators, coaches and teachers met with a small group of parents on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of the testing.
Beaver Dam High School assistant principal Bill Loss met with a group of students last week. The 70 students were randomly selected from all athletic and activity offerings and included students who had code violations.
In general, parents and students both favored the idea of random drug testing.
The idea was brought up by the coaching staff at the high school and originally going to be used only for the football program.
"It's not a new idea," Loss said. "It's being used in other districts in Wisconsin."
Students responded that they need to do something to address the problem of drugs and alcohol at the high school, Loss said.
"They said alcohol and drugs are part of the culture of Beaver Dam," Loss said. "We need to do something to change that culture."
The policy has not been brought to the Beaver Dam Unified School District board of education yet, Loss said. It may be awhile before it will be used at the school.
During Wednesday night's meeting many of the parents favored testing more of the students including those who attend dances or the entire student population.
Principal Don Patnode said that to test the entire population would violate the law.
"An education is a right not a privilege," Patnode said.
Parking on school property and participating in co-curricular activities are listed as privileges.
Co-curricular activities include both athletics and other extra-curricular activities.
The testing could be done once a week or once a month, Loss said. Students would be randomly selected. If there is a positive test result, then the parent would be contacted.
Police will not be contacted. It will count as an athletic code violation. No student will be expelled or suspended form school as a sole result of a positive test result.
"It's not meant to be punitive or a slap in the face," Loss said. "It's a means to address the problem."
The main reason to do the testing is as a deterrent, Loss said.
Confidentiality will be assured, Loss said.
"The only people who will be aware are the administrators and the health care workers," Loss said.
The students will be called down individually and the whole process would take about five to 10 minutes.
The testing per year would cost between $3,600 and $5,000 if the program is started at the school.
Loss said that there will probably be larger community meetings now to discuss the policy with community members.
Tpederson@capitalnewspapers.com