Peabody-Burns will be taking a tougher stance on drugs this year. The school will implement testing for all middle and high school students participating in extracurricular activities.

“It’s not a crackdown,” superintendent Ron Traxson said. “It’s an effort to help students if we do have to deal with a situation. The whole idea is that we try to initiate some educational programs, and it is a deterrent.”

It was a though-out decision that was discussed over the course of several years, Traxson said.

Peabody-Burns will contract with Assured Occupational Solutions, a company out of El Dorado, to test students for drug use.

“In some ways it’s no different than a breath analyzer test before a school dance,” Traxson said.