Atlanta Public Schools is investigating who created a bogus flyer circulating on social media that falsely claims all ninth and 10th grade students must give a urine sample for drug testing.
The district responded Tuesday morning to the hoax, which features the APS logo and states that freshmen and sophomores “will be required to give a urine sample during advising period” and claims APS will set up a “temporary drug clinic” to oversee testing for marijuana, alcohol and nicotine.
None of that is true. One clue to avoid being fooled: The flyer uses a “Gmail” email address instead of an official district one.
District spokesman Ian Smith said that APS officials contacted one person who shared the flyer on Facebook, and that person removed her post.
Other social media users, however, have also shared the hoax.
Smith said the district is trying to determine the original source.
The flyer includes a QR Code that can be scanned using a cell phone that leads to an online survey. The survey asks users which substances they’ve used in the past 30 days and why they have used drugs. Among the possible responses: “I wanted to be rebellious” and “I don’t care about my health.”
