A recent drug testing program for students in Andalusia Middle and High schools turned up no “positive” results for illegal drugs, news which made school administrators quite pleased.

“We were confident going into the testing and were pleased with the overall results,” said Sonja Hines, drug test coordinator for the Andalusia City Schools. “We’ve always known that we have a really good school system and this is just another example we can be proud of.”

Hines said that 374 students in the seventh through 12th grades have been administered the tests since the start of the school year. Of those students, none tested positive for use of illegal substances.

The students who were tested are all participants in some kind of competitive activity at either AMS or AHS. Of the 374 students, 13 (or 3.6 percent) tested positive for regular nicotine use.

Hines explained that starting in November, a 10-percent sample from the original pool of students will be administered follow-up tests. These tests will continue throughout the year, with a separate 10-percent sample each time. EDPM is responsible for generating the list of students who will be sampled in these random tests; there is no selection made by school officials.

“Nearly every parent I’ve talked to has been supportive about this program,” Hines said.