Athletes at Carson High School will be subjected to random drug tests throughout the year, athletic director Bob Bateman told school board members Tuesday.
"It's something I'm very passionate about for our young people," Bateman said.
Down the road, he said, he'd like to see the program expand to include all extra-curricular activities.
The $20,000 program, paid for through a grant from Partnership Carson City, will begin next year and will conduct about 28 to 30 tests
per year.
Students will be chosen at random and notified within 72 hours. About 800 students, or a third of the student body, will be affected.
Bateman said the president of the company that will be running the program, SPORT SAFE Testing Services, Inc., will host a community forum next week at the high school.
"We're not trying to hide anything," he said. "We're being very up front."
He said his informal gauge of people's reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, even amongst student athletes.
He said it gives students "someone to blame." When being pressured to consume drugs, they can refuse based on fear of being caught on the drug test.
Trustee Norm Scoggin added his support.
"It can only work out for the positive," he said. "I think you'll have a great deal of support from the community."
The drug test will screen for 13 substances, ranging from alcohol and ecstasy to barbiturates and amphetamines.
When the company notices new trends in drug abuse, he said, those will be added to the list.
Complete details will be discussed at Tuesday's meeting.