Butler County, Ohio schools are implementing two new security and safety measures: backpack searches and random drug tests. 

According to a news report, thousands of students at Madison Schools underwent first-time backpack searches for weapons and drugs on November 8 of this year. Students lined up and waited for their groups to be called to the school’s main entrance for bag searches by armed school police officers.

This initiative has been met with some resistance from local citizens, says the report. However, school officials and commissioners see this initiative as a major step in improving the safety and security of staff and students. In 2016, Madison was the site of a student school shooting. Ever since the shooting, which left four students injured, school officials have taken an "aggressive school security approach," says the report, that includes its status of the only area district to arm some trained school staffers.

The decision to arm trained school staffers was also met with heavy resistance. A group of parents sued the district last September to block the district from "arming teachers and other staff without the training required of law enforcement officials — 728 hours versus the 24 hours the school has in its policy — and a court order requiring disclosure of policies and procedures for arming staff," says a news report. 

Another Butler County school, Badin High School in Hamilton, also announced it would conduct random drug test for students at least once per school year. The results are confidential between the school, the student and the family, notes the report. In addition, Badin High School has recently installed a new security entrance which is controlled by a school security guard.