Board Policy

Effective July 01, 1993 the Garrett County Public Schools prohibits the use, possession, purchase, sale distribution and being under the influence or impaired by drugs or alcohol on school property during school hours or while on school business for all bus drivers.

The Drug Testing Program has four (4) components which will be implemented in accordance with the following time frame:    

This process is handled by staff of the Student Transportation Department. When a prospective employee completes all the preliminary paperwork and a personal interview with Transportation staff, the applicant is given instructions to get his/her physical from a Garrett County physician or a physician prior approved by the Director of Transportation. Specimen collection for the drug test must be completed within 24 hours. The applicant will not be put into training until the results form both the physical and the drug test are known.

The test will be performed on all bus drivers after being involved in an "accident or incident" whether the "accident or incident" is preventable or non-preventable. It is, therefore, imperative that the Director of Transportation be notified whenever a bus is involved in an "accident or incident" so that he/she can make sure that the post-accident testing procedures are followed. Specimen collection must be completed within four (4) hours after the "accident or incident."

An "accident or incident" shall be defined as any occurrence in which the school bus is involved that results in a death, personal injury, property damage in excess of $500.00, or the bus driver is issued a citation for a moving violation. This is regardless of who was injured, what property was damaged or who was responsible. An occurrence qualifies as an "accident or incident" whether the vehicle was in motion, temporarily stopped, parked or being loaded or unloaded, or on either public or private property.

If a driver is involved in an accident at a time when none of the approved collection locations are open for business, the driver must notify the transportation office so that arrangements can be made to draw the drug test samples. This arrangement is for use only when there is no regular or emergency site available. This process is also to be used when a driver is injured in the bus accident and transported to a hospital for medical attention. The Garrett County Public Schools's administrator at the scene must inform the hospital personnel that this is a Garrett County Public Schools bus driver and that a technician will need to draw the necessary samples. This information is important to the hospital personnel so that they can make a decision about what type of treatment to begin on the driver pending the drug test. Obviously when there is serious injury, the individual's well being is the first consideration.

When possible, the conduct or event giving rise to the "reasonable cause" should be witnessed by two (2) administrators. In an emergency, if only one (1) administrator is available then only one administrator need witness the conduct or event in order to support an order to test. Under this provision, any of the Student Transportation Department administrative personnel (including the driver trainer) are empowered to require a bus driver to submit to a drug/alcohol test if it is felt there is "reasonable cause." Refusal to take a drug/alcohol test in grounds for dismissal, and the driver should be advised of that fact. If he/she still refuses to be tested, then the driver is not to be allowed to drive a bus, and is immediately referred for appropriate action. Specimen collection must be completed within 24 hours. Alcohol testing may be required immediately.

A formal training of the Student Transportation Department administrative personnel will be conducted before the end of FY 93 in order to better prepare them for making a reasonable cause decision.

Each driver's name and/or social security number will be entered into a confidential data base computer program. Five (5) times during each year, as defined in C.O.M.A.R., ten percent of the drivers will be randomly selected by computer for a drug test. Each driver will be called by the Student Transportation Director/designee and told to report with 24 hours for the drug test. Failure to report for the drug test within 24 hours of being notified will result in immediate dismissal of the driver.

	[ [ [	Previous | Next Section 800 Table of Contents	] ] ]	Other Non-Instructional Operations 853.321 AR Adopted 8/10/93 Revised 1/11/94, 6/9/98