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Texas High School District Breath
Alcohol Tests Students
Photo of Breath Alcohol Technicians
February 27, 1997 - Public high school officials in Arlington, Texas have hired a Nebraska drug-testing company (WPCI) to use passive breath alcohol tests on every student attending proms at the district's five schools this spring Administrators at the Arlington Independent School District will screen each of the 3,500 students expected to attend the district's five proms, beginning in late April, said Steve Jacoby, the district's executive director of student services. The breath-alcohol tests, believed to be the first in the country for a school-sponsored social event, are part of the district's comprehensive effort to curb alcohol use by teenagers, Jacoby said. "The illegal use of alcohol products by teenagers is the number one drug problem facing schools throughout the United States. This is one aspect of a very aggressive strategy we have adopted to reduce alcohol abuse at school events," Jacoby explained. Before entering the dance, students must pass a breath alcohol screening conducted by employees of WPCI, a company based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska that administers drug programs for businesses in Canada and the U.S. Any student who posts a result of 0.02 or greater must submit to a second test administered by school officials, Jacoby explained. A student who fails both tests will not be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies and might face additional consequences, he said. "I want to stress that students will still be allowed to graduate, but they will not be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies," Jacoby said. WPCI employees will conduct the screening tests with the PBA 3000, a portable breath alcohol analyzer distributed by WPCI., explained Bill Stopperan, the Director of WPCI's Collection Site Network in Arlington, Texas. Stopperan said WPCI employees will test as many as four students per minute on each PBA 3000 unit used at the school district's proms. The testing unit can measure the breath alcohol level of an individual as they speak into a monitoring device. "It's a very efficient method, and I'm confident we will be able to move the students through the screening process with very little delay," Stopperan said. Officials at the school district have been contacted by other educators who are interested in learning the results of the program, Jacoby said. "I guess we're something of a test site, and we've already received a number of phone calls from administrators from school districts in other states. So I'd say there's good deal of interest in all of this," Jacoby said. The program for testing prom attendees was proposed by Lynn Hale, the district's superintendent, and received the school board's unanimous approval in January. The program also enjoys widespread support from parents and the community, Jacoby said. For additional information about the district's screening program or about
WPCI, contact WPCI at 1-(800)-682-5176 or e-mail info@wpcidrugfree.com. |
