Missouri's public schools are now participating in a statewide wastewater testing program designed to detect fentanyl and other drugs on campuses.
The Missouri Department of Public Safety launched the School Wastewater Testing Pilot this month, partnering with Mighty Good Solutions to collect samples from participating schools across the state.
About 40 schools enrolled in the program by early December, with testing already underway at roughly a dozen locations. The initiative received $4 million in funding from Governor Mike Kehoe's administration to examine substance misuse patterns without placing additional burdens on school staff.
Missouri Schools Conduct Drug Testing of Students
Here's how the program works: schools submit one small wastewater sample per week to be analyzed for drug biomarkers, according to Missouri Net. Technicians examine the samples for traces of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has become a major public health threat. The weekly schedule allows schools to track short-term and long-term substance use trends specific to their campuses.
"By doing weekly testing, you'll be able to track trends, and then the data are shared with the schools, and then the schools can look at what types of programs they want to implement," explained Mike O'Connell, communications director for the Department of Public Safety. School districts can use this information to develop targeted prevention and intervention initiatives based on their actual substance misuse data.
The program operates at no cost to participating schools, KCUR reported. Data collection is anonymous and focuses on community-level patterns rather than individual students. Schools receive near real-time insights into drug trends on their campuses without conducting invasive individual testing.
A $3 Million Program Expansion
The state allocated an additional $3 million to expand the program into communities beyond schools, supporting law enforcement efforts statewide. However, questions remain about whether data will be shared with local police departments. "There's nothing contractually that would prevent that from being shared," O'Connell noted, though he acknowledged the issue is still being worked out.
This initiative comes as fentanyl continues affecting Missouri residents. Opioid overdose is the leading cause of death for people aged 18 to 44 in the state. Additionally, DEA fentanyl seizures in Missouri during 2025 have already surpassed the entire 2024 total, as per the DEA.
School superintendents could still register their schools for the program as of late December, though specific start dates have not been announced. The Department of Public Safety is expected to share results with enrolled districts to inform drug prevention efforts going forward.
