Drug Testing Kits make a difference.




LEAD,South Dakota - Meth use among adults has increased at an alarming rate, and new programs like Meade County,South Dakota's Drug Court gives hope that meth users can receive help.
But some feel teens are just as susceptible to drug use, and to that end, the Lead-Deadwood,South Dakota School system is offering a drug test kit for parents to test their youths. According to organizers of the campaign, this system is not complicated.
Laurie Rogers is the school nurse and stresses the program is not the school policing its students. "The parents have to come and ask for a test kit. We don't just give it out to kids or their parents. And then the parents don't have to tell us the results unless they want to," she said.
The tests are designed to be a pro-active way to find out what the kids are using for drugs, if any. Principal Nick Gottlob said the only way any action will be taken is if a student who tests positive is in any extra-curricular activities. "This is just a way to implement some sort of sanction to the student who is in any activity and decides to use drugs. And we don't try to police activity off school grounds," he said.




Lead-Deadwood,South Dakota Superintendent Dr. Dan Leikvold agreed with that. "This sanction would apply to those who are in football and basketball, band and track. If we find they've been using drugs or alcohol, then we will take action. And then, that's only if the parents decide to tell us what they found. And we don't really take any action against a student who is not in any activity," he said.
School resource officer Kip Mau with the Deadwood,South Dakota Police Department said he will work with the school and the parents of a student if he finds there is criminal activity, but again the emphasis is trying to help the user. Gottlob explains that this is about intervention. "We're just trying to help the parents and students to understand there are programs and initiatives that can help them with their drug use, and that we're not trying to police students, but we need to protect the students at all levels of the school, and keep drugs out," he said.