During high school, students must pass a slew of exams to show what they've learned, but next year they can expect to be tested in a different way.
This new pass/fail test will not force them to prove what they know, but rather, what they did or didn't do.
The board of education has asked a drug testing committee to move forward with the development of a policy that could result in random drug testing of students who hold certain privileges, starting with the 2011-2012 school year.
"It's something the school should be involved in," senior Brandon Shanahan, Drug Testing Committee member, said. "Drugs affect athletes both physically and mentally for their sports, but also affect their learning ability at school by making it harder to pay attention.
"You hear about things going on during the weekends and at parties and a lot of the time it's people who you wouldn't expect to be doing drugs or drinking. Drug use is pretty even throughout the student body. A lot of athletes who signed contracts that say they're not going to use drugs don't obey that."
Students in extracurriculars or who have a parking permit could be tested, which puts over 50 percent of students in the testing pool.
"Kids can use it (random testing) as a deterrent," Activities Director Debbie Benson said. "When they're out with their friends and there's peer pressure to do drugs, they can say, 'I can't do that; I might get tested this week,' and use it as an excuse."
Since, legally, only students with certain privileges can be subjected to drug testing, around half will go untested.
"We will potentially be missing out on a key group of students," school board member Shane Pochard said. "But, hopefully, just having this policy will help students who we can't test see how serious of a problem drugs are."
Typically, five drugs are tested for each time and it is possible that those could be different each round, according to Kyle Preuter, president of Great Lakes Biomedical.
Testing will most likely take the form of a urine test and a random number generator would determine which students get tested.
"There are pros and cons to each type of drug testing," Preuter said. "Saliva testing is the least intrusive, and then there's urine testing which is very reliable, has been around for years and is very economical.
"Hair testing can go back as far as 90 days, but is more intrusive and about three times more expensive than urine testing. Most schools use urine testing because it is the most economical and can test for the widest range of drugs."
Details that have yet to be determined are what drugs will be tested for, what percentage of students will be tested and how often tests will be administered.
These factors will all affect the cost, which the board of education is searching for ways to fund. Testing 20 percent of the eligible students once per season would cost $10,608.
"We are looking to fund it through state and federal grants, as well as with help from booster clubs and community members," Pochard said. "We could also resort to raising parking pass costs."
Although the cost will be steep, principal Victoria Swartz believes it is money well spent.
"Saving the life and future of one student would make the cost all worth it," Swartz said. "We want to use drug testing as a way to get students help, not to get them in trouble legally or academically."
While the policy is still being developed, administrators will work together with students who test positive and their families.
"The parents will be notified immediately and we will meet with the student and their family to discuss consequences that will involve some kind of opportunity for counseling or rehab," Swartz said.
A positive drug test will not appear on a student's academic record, nor will the law get involved unless drugs are actually found in a student's possession.
"The policy is still being developed, but the only penalties that will be included will be the taking away of privileges," Swartz said. "We need to focus on getting students help and giving them an incentive to say no."
Not all students agree that drug use is an issue administrators should get involved in.
"It (drug testing) is stupid because they should let us do what we want to as long as we're doing our school work and participating," senior Zach Copus said. "It's an invasion of privacy because what kids do outside of school is none of the school's business."
While random drug testing is a costly and controversial issue, district officials believe it will be a positive step in helping students.
"In life, workers are held accountable for their actions, just like students are held accountable for theirs in school," Athletic Director Nate Weihrauch said. "Drug testing ultimately continues to help all school activities grow with members who understand the responsibilities of positive behavior."