Random drug test in WV schools to start in July
Random drug sampling will be conducted in all secondary public schools in Western Visayas by July this year, according to Department of Education (DepEd) OIC-Regional Director Mildred Garay.
She said said that this random drug test will be conducted on 10 students belonging to different levels and randomly picked in their secondary public schools in the region.
The DepEd official said that the expenses for the reproduction of forms, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, and travel will then be funded by their central office while the Department of Health will take charge of the laboratory and expenses of its own personnel who will conduct the drug sampling.
Garay said the conduct of the random drug sampling scheduled in July is timely because March is too close and already graduation time for students.
She said that so far, there has yet been no opposition from the parents on the conduct of the random drug testing, noting that in fact, it could be a great help on their part to know if their children are having a problem on illegal substance.
But in case there will really be some parents who would not like to subject their children to random drug sampling, then their problematic children would be referred for guidance counseling so they could still get some help.
In schools where there are no guidance counselors, the teachers will be the ones to provide them with guidance counseling.
Director Garay added that it would even be better if the random drug sampling would be conducted every year so that the students would be made more aware of the menace of drugs into their lives. (PNA)