Super Chors: Random Drug Testing Will Make School Safer Take Five Minutes at Nurses Office

August 8th, 2017

By Hilde Kate Lysiak

Selinsgrove Superintendent Chad Chors told the Orange Street News that he supports random drug testing. Chors described how random students would be taken to the nurses office and the test would take five minutes.  He believes the tests would make the school safer. Here are his full email responses to three questions posed by the OSN>

Q: Do you favor random drug testing?

A: Yes, anything that we as a school can do to aid students in not using drugs is a good thing.  The testing will give some students an excuse they can use when faced with pressure to use drugs, to say no.  Any student who tests positive for drugs, it will allow us to provide them and their families with resources to help the student.

Q: How do you feel the community would react?

A: The survey we did at the end of last school year was extremely supportive of the random drug testing.  I think the community is looking for ways to help students to stay away from drugs,

Q If it happened, what would it look like?

A: Randomly selected students would be taken to the nurses office to provide a urine sample in a test kit.  The test kit provides initial results in under five minutes.  If the initial results are positive for drugs or alcohol, the sample is then sent to a lab for further testing and verification.

Selinsgrove is trying to deal with a serious drug issue.

A day after an Orange Street News investigation revealed a shocking rise in heavy drugs like heroin inside of Selinsgrove High School, Superintendent Chad Cohrs acknowledged just how big of a drug problem is confronting the school in a letter to parents asking for the public’s help.

“The Selinsgrove Area has been experiencing a marked increase in drug activity which is impacting our students,” read the letter. “While drug and alcohol usage is not something new, the frequency and types of drugs we are seeing is cause for increased concern. The use of prescription medications such as Xanax, Vicodin, and Oxycodone are on the rise. Use of other street drugs, such as heroin, are also increasing.”