CRETE, Neb. -- The Crete Public School Board hosted a meeting Monday with a full crowd to discuss a recently adopted policy.

Parents and staff members attended the event and were given the opportunity to ask questions and show their displeasure toward a new policy implementing randomized student drug testing for grades six through 12.

Superintendent Josh McDowell says the drug testing will create a safer and more comfortable environment at school for students. 

“Creating this environment where all kids want to be and they don’t have to worry about walking down the hallway, they don’t have to worry about going to the restroom, they don’t have to worry about walking to their car and wondering what they’re going to see and what is going to be happening," said McDowell. 

Parents who addressed their concerns about the new policy mentioned being concerned for the privacy of their children and also how they would have to pay for the drug tests instead of the school.

Maghie Miller-Jenkins says there are other problems that should warrant new policies. 

“Fifty-six percent of the students here are on free and reduced lunch which alone is a high enough statistic to say that you have a community of people who struggle," said Miller-Jenkins. "So if you have a community of people that struggle and one of the coping mechanisms or things they use is some substance, the way to be able to help that person isn’t to inflict more financial burden."

The testing can only be on students in extracurricular activities with competition involved. Students cannot be suspended from activities if a positive test results from a prescription drug. 

Only extracurricular activities can be affected after a positive test, not academics. 

“If a student at the high school level, let's say they test positive and it is their first offense and it is a confirmed positive, they have a 10-day activity suspension, not school," said McDowell. "They can still come to school everyday but they are suspended for whatever activity that they are in for 10 days.”

The parents and staff against the testing called for removal of the policy during the meeting. 

“I would remove it. I would remove it because, again, there are already policies in place that take care of this problem. This is an overreach," said Miller-Jenkins. "The fact that it was passed unanimously speaks to the fact that every person that I saw sit up there was a white man between the ages of 25 and 60 and that does not speak to the population of people they are serving.”

The policy can be removed by the school board at any time.