A SURPRISE drug test was conducted on teachers of the Abellana National School (ANS) in Cebu City last Tuesday.
The Cebu City Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) said 181 teachers tested negative for drug use.
Dr. Alice Utlang, COSAP head, said the school cannot be declared a drug-free workplace yet because 20 teachers failed to take the test.
Of the 20 teachers who missed the test, four were exempted. Two of them are on maternity leave while the other two are set to retire next month.
School principal Severina Chin said some teachers were on seminars while some had meetings to attend to during the test.
“We will have a separate schedule for them,” Chin said.
Non-teaching personnel will also be asked to take the test, Chin said.
“Definitely, they will undergo the drug testing. That’s an order from the regional office and we have to follow,” she said.
Chin said she was happy that no one tested positive for drug use.
Chin admitted that there could be also some students who are into illegal drugs.
“We cannot deny that. Everywhere, there could be things like that. Our problem is how to catch those erring students,” Chin said.
The school is willing to have their students undergo drug testing.
COSAP has conducted seminars for the parents where they were taught how to keep their children away from illegal drugs.