There will be no drug testing program at Ripon High.

Not for the upcoming year, at least.

The Ripon Unified school board on Monday opted against the policy for student athlete.

“By legal definition, we don’t have a serious drug problem at RHS,” said Trustee Chad Huskey, who believed that such a policy could touch on some legal issues.

He and board decided that right now wasn’t the time to implement the drug-testing policy.

“We need analyze this on an ongoing basis,” Huskey added.

RUSD Director of Student Services Lisa Cheney was part of the recently formed committee that looked at possibly implementing a random drug testing policy.

She provided information on the matter, conducting studies, a survey while seeking legal counsel from Stephanie White of the law offices of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd & Romo.

Cheney and the group came up with the following:

Student athletes, under the proposal, would have been tested for marijuana, amphetamines, opiates, cocaine, and barbiturates, to name a few.

They would not be tested for alcohol and tobacco.

Eight students at RUSD were caught with drugs this past year. Of that, only two were student athletes.

RHS, when compared to the other schools in the area, had low numbers of those cited for drug.

In a survey consisting of 157 students, 87 believed that RHS did not have a serious drug problem based on the legal definition.

Sixty-seven percent surveyed noted that such a policy would serve as a deterrent from doing drugs.

Many of the RHS coaches including football coach Chris Johnson, boys varsity basketball coach Rod Wright and cross country coach Paul Calkins backed the plan.

“If we can stop one kid (from doing drugs) I think it’s worth it,” Calkins said.

RUSD first talked about a drug-testing plan in December 2012.

Back then, the California School Board Association, as an optional policy, recommended that school districts can chose to have a drug testing program in place for student athletes and activities.

Bret Harte and Lincoln (Stockton) were among the schools to adopt the policy.

Besides Cheney, the committee included Huskey, RHS Vice Principal Keith Rangel, football coach Chris Johnson, and student athlete Ellie Waters.