WITH the go signal from the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 to proceed, the Cebu City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac) will push through with the conduct of drug testing with public school teachers in the City.
Cadac member Alice Utlang said that even without the directive, plans to conduct surprise drugs tests in public schools were in place since last year.
“That’s very good because we are already planning on that even last year,” she said.
Utlang said the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap), which she heads, will conduct the surprise and random drug testing.
Cost
The City Government will also shoulder the cost of the conduct a drug test since it was already budgeted under the funds of Cosap this year.
Aside from teachers, Cosap earlier announced that random drug tests will also be administered on public secondary school students.
She said the problem with minors, particularly students, who have been using illegal drugs is rising with the admission of a nine-year-old drug user in one of the drug rehabilitation centers in Cebu.
“When we planned to conduct drug tests to students last year, that will also include the teachers because they will serve as role models to them,” Utlang said.
Cosap and the DepEd Cebu City Division have drafted procedures on how to conduct the drug tests to the students, particularly that they are dealing with the minors.
As a start, Utlang said, a series of orientations among school administrators, who were mostly guidance counselors, and parents were done late last year and will continue this year.
“We need to prepare the parents on how to deal the matter when their children are found to have been using the illegal drugs,” she added.
Talisay City
Talisay City Mayor Johnny De los Reyes agrees with the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 over the need to conduct mandatory drug testing on public school teachers.
De los Reyes, who chairs Talisay’s City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC), said they will soon organize drug testings in public schools, following DepEd 7’s call.
De los Reyes said that teachers in his city must serve as an example for their students and all schools must be drug-free.