• By JULE HUBBARD WILKES JOURNAL-PATRIOT STAFF   /  Aug 6, 2025 Updated 7 hrs ago

The number of Wilkes County high school students testing positive in random drug tests decreased from 30 out of 432 tested in the 2023-24 school year to 13 out of 479 tested in the 2024-25 school year, said Wilkes School Athletic Director David Johnson during the county school board meeting Monday night.

Johnson said 11 out of 415 students tested positive in the 2022-23 school tested positive. Marijuana continues to be the substance most often detected, said Johnson, who also is Wilkes school safety coordinator and secondary education (grades six-13) director.

Under the drug testing policy, high school students must agree in writing to be subject to random drug testing to participate in interscholastic athletics or other extracurricular activities and also to have campus driving and parking privileges.

Other high school students can be included in the pool of those eligible for random drug testing if requested by parents.

Johnson said students who test positive must undergo a substance abuse assessment by a drug counselor, which normally doesn’t find that a student is addicted. They also are tested again.

He said punitive action only occurs after a student tests positive in a later round of testing. He said this has occurred and can cause loss of eligibility for interscholastic athletics and other extracurricular activities and loss of campus parking and driving privileges.

Johnson said testing positive never results in suspension, nor does it go on a student’s permanent record.

Wilkes school nurses

Johnson said the Wilkes schools are served by 11.5 school nurses, which is about two per school.

The recommended ratio is one nurse per school.

Wilkes school nurses made 205 health education presentations in 2024-25, up from 166 the prior year.

These presentations were on alcohol and drug abuse tobacco products, allergies, puberty, sexually transmitted diseases, health careers, weight control, eating disorders, bone health, dental health, various aspects of safety and other topics.

School nurses also made 279 homes visits 2024-25, compared to 325 homes visits in 2023-24.

Johnson said that among Wilkes students receiving medicine in 2024-25, 258 required long-term medication, 29 needed medicine for less than three weeks and 471 required having emergency medication available at school, such as epinephrine for allergic reactions.