JACKSON TWP — Positive drug test results for students are up slightly from last year, but they are still well below the national average, Seneca Valley officials reported this week at the school board meeting.

Matt McKinley, assistant superintendent for secondary instruction, said there was a positive test rate of 0.81 percent this year, or 36 positive tests out of 4,454 total tests given to students in grades seven to 12 in the 2016-17 school year.

The national average is 2.2 percent, he said.

Last year the positive rate was 0.32 percent for Seneca Valley.

“I would attribute the rise to what we're seeing in society,” McKinley said. “This is not an alarming rate. We are still staying vigilant with our efforts.”

Students tested positive for a variety of substances, primarily marijuana, alcohol or a combination of both, he said. They also saw positive tests for hydrocodone, oxycodone and other pain relievers, McKinley said, again reflecting drug use seen in society.

“I'd say we had an extremely strong year with our drug testing policy,” McKinley said. “We're looking forward to continuing it here.”

Seneca Valley was one of the first school districts in the state to enact random drug testing for student athletes and students participating in activities 15 years ago.

Students in grades seven to 12 who want to participate in sports, extracurricular activities or drive to school are required to take a drug test before their sport or activity starts or before they get a parking pass.

Then the students are entered into a random testing program that calls out students weekly throughout the school year.

There were 2,506 preactivity tests, 1,784 random tests and 154 follow-ups.

When a student tests positive, the building principal notifies and meets with parents, and the student is required to submit follow-up samples each week for five weeks. The student is also suspended for 14 days from the sport, activity or parking privilege and must attend a mandatory drug and alcohol education class.

The positive rate for follow-up tests was 5.8 percent, McKinley said. The national average is about 20 percent.

Superintendent Tracy Vitale said the drug testing policy is meant to be preventive, not reactionary. The goal is to identify issues before they become larger and provide help.