Ill. high school to root out student drinking by testing their hair, report says
(CBS) CHICAGO - Students at a private Catholic high school in Illinois will face mandatory testing for drugs and alcohol this year, CBS Chicago reports.
What's more, St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights intends to test hair samples to determine whether a student has consumed alcohol in a period of up to 90 days.
The private school believes it is among the first in the state to have a mandatory alcohol testing policy."Kids fear getting suspensions from school or detentions even and maybe what their parents will do, if they find out they're getting caught, so I think it actually will make a difference," said St. Viator student Miguel Aguilar.
According to CBS Chicago, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union questions the testing plan, but says that since the school is private, only parents can object to it.
School officials said the tests will not pick up trace levels of alcohol from Communion wine, the station reports. Two positive tests would result in disciplinary action.
Administrators at St. Viator say the random drug testing of students has been ongoing since 2007, and less than 1 percent of the tests have come back positive.
"We're adding this test because we care about our kids and we want them to be the best that God created them to be," said Corey Brost, St. Viator's President.