Lexington One board approves student drug testing program

LEXINGTON, SC — At its May 19, 2015 monthly board meeting, the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees approved a new student drug testing policy which authorizes district administrators to implement a random drug testing program that screens students participating in school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competitions for the use of marijuana (THC), opiates, cocaine, methamphetamines, phencyclidine (PCP), MDMA (Ecstasy), unauthorized prescription medications and/or any other substance defined as a controlled substance by either South Carolina or federal law.

The program, which goes into effect in the upcoming 2015–2016 school year, is designed to deter drug use among students participating in school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competitions with drug abuse education and counseling. While the misuse of drugs is a potential problem for all students, unique pressures and risks exist for students participating in athletics.

This policy does not conflict with any other board policy or administrative rule which authorizes disciplinary action for the possession, use, sale or transfer of alcohol or controlled substances while on school grounds or at a school-sponsored event on or off campus.

Testing will ensure that the specimens being analyzed are identified with the appropriate student, that the purity of the samples are maintained and that positive results are validated for confirmation purposes. All chemical analyses will be conducted by a professional laboratory and will be at the district’s expense, except for follow-up testing after a positive test.

Before a student can become eligible for participation in a school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competition in grades 7–12, the student and parent/legal guardian must complete a signed consent form consenting to testing.

Failure to consent to participation in the drug testing program automatically excludes the student from participation in any school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competition. A covered student or his/her parents/legal guardian may revoke their consent to drug test at any time, but such revocation will result in the covered student no longer being eligible to participate in a school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competition.

Any student who withdraws from participation in a school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competition, as a result of being selected for testing, will no longer be eligible for that activity for that year and be required to submit to a drug test prior to participation in any future school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competition.

All student drug-testing records will be kept strictly confidential in accordance with written district policy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Parents/legal guardians, the covered student, and school personnel (on a need-to-know basis consistent with FERPA) are the only people who will be notified of test results. Law enforcement personnel shall not be notified. All records relating to and including student drug-testing results shall be destroyed by the district upon the student’s graduation or other departure of the student from the district.

First offense — When a student tests positive, the principal, parent and student will meet. The student will be ineligible to participate in all school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competitions and school practices for 14 calendar days from the date of notification of positive test results, the student must test negative for drugs using the district’s testing agency before resuming participation in any practice or competition, and the student will participate in drug counseling provided by a certified clinical counselor.

Second offense — When a student tests positive a second time, the principal, parent and student will meet. The student will be ineligible to participate in all school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competitions and school practices for 90 calendar days from the date of notification of positive test results, the student must test negative for drugs using the district’s testing agency before resuming participation in any practice or competition, and the student will participate in drug counseling provided by a certified clinical counselor.

Third offense — When a student tests positive a third time, the principal, parent and student will meet. The student will be ineligible to participate in all school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competitions and school practices for one calendar year from the date of notification of positive test results, the student must test negative for drugs using the district’s testing agency before resuming participation in any practice or competition, and the student will participate in drug counseling provided by a certified clinical counselor.

Fourth offense — When a student tests positive a fourth time, the principal, parent and student will meet. The student will be declared permanently ineligible to participate in all school-sponsored interscholastic athletic competitions and school practices from the date of notification of positive test results.