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DATIA Issues Policy Statement for Student Drug Testing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  
Contact: Laura E. Shelton
DATIA, Executive Director
800-355-1257
Alexandria, VA, December 17, 2002: Today, the Board of Directors of the Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) issued a formal position statement regarding student drug testing programs. The statement shows the association’s support of such testing programs, provided schools utilize certain safeguards within their testing programs. Following is the statement issued.
The Drug and Alcohol Testing Industry Association (DATIA) actively supports prevention efforts within the public and private school sectors to deter and prevent substance use by youths to include drug testing provided the following minimum standards are utilized and detailed in the school’s written drug testing policy: (1) specimens are collected by persons trained in the proper drug test specimen collection procedures; (2) students are afforded privacy when providing specimens, and direct observation collections are not performed with urine specimens; (3) screening tests have FDA 510 (k) pre-market clearance; (4) all non-negative results are confirmed using spectrometry at an appropriately certified laboratory; (5) all confirmed positive, adulterated, and substituted drug test results are reviewed and verified by a certified Medical Review Officer; and (6) drug test results are only made available to the student, his/her parents, and the school official (s) identified within the school’s drug testing policy as having a “need to know” . To promote such initiatives, DATIA will work with Congress to support legislation and initiatives aimed at furthering student drug testing, and DATIA will work with drug and alcohol testing providers and school administrators to provide education on the industry’s best practices for student drug testing.
Members of DATIA’s Board of Directors are Mr. Dean Klassy (Chairman), Transportation & Small Business Consortium; Dr. C.B. Thuss, Jr. (Vice Chairman), Absolute Drug Detection Services, Inc; Ms. Theresa Nones (Secretary), Quest Diagnostics Incorporated; Mr. Hank Braner (Treasurer), Health Awareness Enterprises, Inc.; Mr. Jim Campbell, Ambassador Medical Services, Inc.; Mr. Michael Eisenberg, ASPIRE; Ms. Laura Hamilton, PRIMEMED-Heywood Occupational Medicine; Mr. Andrew Powell, Nursing Corps; Mr. Eric Quilter, Compliance Information Systems; Ms. Karen Rapchick, Low Country Drug Screening, Inc.; Mr. Joseph Reilly, Florida Drug Screening; Mr. Don Rothschild, Peak Paths; Mr. Wayne Schooling, North American Transportation Association; Dr. Brian Strasnick, PhD, ScD, Willow Laboratories and Medical Center; Mr. William Thistle, Psychemedics Corporation; and Ms. Sandra Vanderploeg, Interactive Medical Connections, Inc..
DATIA was founded in 1995 and has grown to represent over 1,100 members from all facets of the drug and alcohol testing industry. DATIA works closely with key policy makers in Federal Agencies and in Congress to ensure that the interests of the industry are heard and taken into account when changes are proposed involving drug and alcohol testing rules. DATIA further works to educate the industry on current standards of service and regulatory policies and procedures. For complete information on the association and DATIA’s support of student drug testing initiatives, visit www.datia.org.