JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley School District Assistant Superintendent Matthew McKinley had “favorable” news to share at Monday night’s school board work session.

He reported the district once again posted below-average results for positive random drug testing.

“These were lives and families we were able to affect positively,” McKinley said.

The district’s random positive rate was 0.62 percent, well below the national average of 2 percent. As for follow-up testing, the random positive rate came to 5.7 percent, again well below the national average of 18 percent.

More than 4,300 students from the junior high, intermediate high and high schools took the test. Twenty-seven of those students tested positive.

Out of the 122 students who performed a follow-up test, seven tested positive.

The drug test, performed by Powell, Ohio-based service Sport Safe, is required for all students wishing to drive to school or perform in any school-related activity, including sports. Those who opt out of testing forfeit these privileges.

There are three levels of punishment for failing the test: the first offense leads to a 14-calendar day suspension from activities and driving. The second leads to a one-year suspension and the third leads to a permanent ban. The tests are done cumulatively.

However, punishment is not the goal for testing, according to McKinley and district communications director Linda Andreassi.

“It’s not a ‘gotcha’ policy to get kids in trouble,” Andreassi said. “It’s about identifying and turning the issue back to the family, so they can address it.”

Andreassi said the first step that’s taken for students testing positive is to call and inform the parents. From there, parents can address the problem with their children.

After that, a doctor is contacted through Sports Safe so they can speak to the family to see if the student testing positive is taking medications that might cause false positives or other complications in testing.

If the positive is non-medical, the school is then contacted to be made aware.

The district has $60,000 in the annual budget for the random testing, with the cost set at $30 per student.

McKinley said the district has used Sport Safe’s services since 2002 and that Sports Safe uses Seneca Valley’s results as a model for other schools across the country.

“They think a lot of it is the education we do for our students ahead of time, and that the penalty is not too strong, but appropriate for students who test positive,” he said.

However, drug testing isn’t the only way the district is combating drug use in schools. Health classes in the junior high and intermediate high schools tackle the issue, and sixth graders take the Reality Tour, presented by Candle Inc. each year for further education.

Two school resource officers are also present on the middle school campus to speak to students about drugs, alcohol and illegal activities.

“I feel like we continue to give parents, families and kids the opportunity to take a look at this serious issue and correct it,” McKinley said.