PRIMER on RANDOM DRUG TESTING in SCHOOLS - part 1

Legal Basis
 

ARTICLE III-Dangerous Drugs test and Record Requirements

Sec.36,c.Student of Tertiary and Secondary Schools- Students of tertiary and secondary schools shall, pursuant to the related rules and regulations as contained in the school's student handbook and with notice to the presents, undergo a random drug testing. Provided, that all drug testing expenses whether in public or private schools under this Section will be borne by the government;Provided,further,that the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, as the case may be, shall see to it that this provision is implemented.

Board Regulation #6, Series of 2003 as amended by Board Regulation #3, Series of 2009
General Guidelines for the Conduct of Random Drug Testing for Secondary and Tertiary Students

1. WHAT IS RANDOM DRUG TESTING?

Random Drug Testing is a procedure to determine the presence or absence of a substance in the body and the selection of students is through an unbiased process of generating random numbers using a computer or a scientific calculator.

2.WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF RANDOM DRUG TESTING?

a. To determine the prevalence of drug users among the students.

b. To assess the effectivity of school-based and community based prevention programs.

c. To deter adolescents from initiating the use or illegal drugs.

d. To give adolescents a reason to resist peer pressure to use illegal drugs.

e. To facilitate the referral/treatment of drug users and dependents.

f. To strengthen the collaboration efforts of identified agencies against the use of illegal drugs and in the treatment of drug user and dependents.

3. WHAT IS A SCREENING TEST?

Refers to a test to find out if a person is negative or positive for drug use. This is usually done using test kit (immunoassay kit) that test a person's urine if it would give a positive result for use of marijuana, methampethamine (shabu) and other ampethamine-type stimulants. If the Screening Test gave a positive result, it will automatically undergo Confirmatory Test.

4. WHAT IS A CONFIRMATORY TEST?

Refers to the analytical procedure to identify and  quantity the presence of a specific drug in the urine using the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectropometry (GC-MS), currently the "gold standard" equipment for drug testing worldwide. This will validate and confirm the result of the Screening Test.

5. HOW ACCURATE ARE DRUG TESTS?

Department of health endorsed guidelines, approved and adopted by the Dangerous Drugs Board, is in place to assure accurary of the drug tests. Drug testing kits used in the activity have been validated by competent agencies. Screened positive cases still undergo a "confirmatory" test using an instrumented method that is internatiobally accepted. This 2nd level test provides a more specific quantitative and qualitative result. The element of "surprise" also increases accuracy of findings.

6. IS THERE A GOVERMENT MANDATE TO CONDUCT RANDOM DRUG TESTING?

Yes. Article III. Sec. 36c of Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as "Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002" states that students of tertiary and secondary schools shall, pursuant to the related rules and regulations as contained in the school's students handbook and with notice to the presents, undergo a random drug testing.

7. WHO SHALL CONDUCT THE RANDOM DRUG TESTING IN THE SCHOOLS?

The random drug testing in the schools shall be conducted by the Supervising Agencies, Department of Health(DOH), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and skills Development Authority (TESDA) in collaboration with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDb). The school, through its respective Selection Board and health personnel, shall assist in the conduct of the drug testing.

8. WHO SHALL COMPOSE  THE "SELECTION BOARD"?

The "Selection Board" shall be the board constituted at the level of the school compose of the Drug Testing Coordinator, the School Head as chairpenson,and representative each from the students, faculty and parents as members. The authorized governing body duly recognized by their respective constituents shall choose the representative from these stakeholders based on a set of selection criteria   formulated for this purpose. In the absence of a parent's associatio. the School Head may appoint any parent who shall be a member of the Selection Board.

9. HOW IS THE SELECTION OF SAMPLE DONE IN A RANDOM DRUG TESTING?

a. The Drug Testing Coordinator shall covene the school's Selection Board within five days from the receipt of notice from the Supervising Agency stating the school is included in the program.

b. On the day testing, the Selection Board shall conduct the random selection of those to be tested.

c. The Selection Board shall ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the random selection process.

d. The selection process shall be random through a lottery, which may be computerized, or in any other manner that shalkl be agreed upon by the board.

e. The random selection of students and the drug testing shall be done on the same day.

f. Prior to testing, the selected students shall be asked to reveal the medicines, vitamins, food supplements that they had taken within the past thirty (30) days. The Drug Testing Coordinator shall keep the listing and utilize this in the evaluation of the confirmatory drug test.

g. The labatory shall follow the DOH prescribed guidlines in the collection of urine specimens. DOH prescribed guidelines shall be posted in strategic places/visible areas of the school. universal precautions shall be observe at all times.

h.the monitor assigned shall ensure he integrity of he collection proce the specimen collector should be of the samegender as the student

i.the speciman collection shall be done in the school and testing conducted by a duly accredited drug-testing laboratory.

10. WHO SHALL NOTIFY/INFORM THE STUDENTS, PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE RANDOM DRUG TESTING IN THE SCHOOLS?

The Supervising Agency shall issue an Oder or a Memorandum and this should include the guidelines on the conduct of random drug testing.All students, parents and the community shall be nitified by the school in writing on the process and manner by which the random drug testing will be done.

read the part 2 of the primer ....