WINDSOR, Colo. -- Windsor school officials are the latest to consider a controversial method of reducing drug and alcohol consumption by students: random testing.

“We just want to try to do whatever we can, be proactive, do prevention and intervention measures that we can try to make a difference in the lives of kids,” said Dave Nicholl, a district spokesman.

For two years, Nicholl said, the district has been looking at this idea and is now ready to see what parents think.

“You shouldn’t have to have the school test them for it. You should know,” said Robert Fullop, a Windsor High School parent, adding he’s not against the program as much as the impetus behind it. “You’re taking more and more responsibility and putting it on the schools as opposed to the parents. Parents need to step up to the bar and be parents.”

In order to participate in extracurricular activities that do not issue a letter grade, a student would have to agree to random drug and alcohol tests.

If a student tested positive, he or she would face a brief suspension from the team or group and would be ordered to take counseling.

That information would not be shared with school administrators, ensuring no academic repercussions, Nicholl said.

But the district is also looking at “suspicion-based” testing on campus and at school events.

“If there was evidence, behavioral evidence, that would suggest that. Whether they smell like alcohol or smell like marijuana,” Nicholl said.

With a positive test, under this plan the student would be suspended from school for five days and with a second positive test, would be expelled, Nicholl said.

“I’d be OK with it. I don’t drink or do any drugs,” said Chelsea Chadwick, a Windsor junior and member of the swim team. “I think they should really drug test everyone.”

Parents are encouraged to attend the meeting Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Windsor High School's cafeteria.

Getting an idea of how many schools already use drug and alcohol testing can be complicated.

Battle Mountain High School in the Eagle/Vail area added random screening of extracurricular students in 2008.

"Most coaches, parents and students report that they like it. Students say it is easier to avoid drugs if they are involved in sports or activities, and they know they could be tested," said Principal Philip Qualman. "In the first year we heard some opposition, but in our second year, most kids and parents know the routine and appreciate the effort the school is making to keep kids away from drugs."

As far as rating the effectiveness, Qualman said that's still very subjective.

"We will examine our substance abuse related offenses at the end of the year and compare those numbers to previous years," Qualman said.

Two calls to Holyoke High School also went unreturned Monday.

Curiously, the communications office at the Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington, D.C., told TheDenverChannel they don’t track the number of schools testing kids nationwide anymore.

The school drug testing program was started by President George Bush in 2004 and as of 2008, it reported some 4,100 participating schools across the U.S.

The Colorado Department of Education does not track schools in the state that administer such tests.

“School districts are not required to report this information as a condition of any grant funding that CDE provides to districts,” wrote Megan McDermott, who works in the communications office. “It is not data required to be collected by CDE through any state or federal statute or program.”

But the Student Drug Testing Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland estimates there are 10-12 schools across Colorado using the random test for extracurricular participants.

Nationwide, a staffer puts the number at "between 5,400 - just over 7,000" middle and high schools using similar testing programs, based on several voluntary, self-reporting studies.

"The interest is growing. But a lot of this started to pick up steam right around 2008 as state budgets were being cut," said Aaron Neumann, research associate for the Institute. "We find it's more common in suburban, rural school schools using similar programs. So many districts are either waiting, scaling back or eliminating their (testing) program."