The Surry County School Drug Testing Policy is intended to be a helpful part of the overall physical and mental education of students.  The program is a strategy in the prevention of injury, illness, and harm as a result of drug use/abuse.  It is not intended to be punitive or disciplinary in nature. 

The Policy
All students in grades 6 - graduation and faculty/staff members who wish to sign-up for voluntary random alcohol/drug testing may do so at any time during the school year. This is an expansion of the Surry County Schools Mandatory Random  Alcohol/Drug Testing  to  include  all  students,  not  just  those  students participating in extracurricular activities. All students in grades 6 -12 who participate in extracurricular activities will be required to sign up to participate in random alcohol/drug testing. If participation in an after school activity is required to earn extra credit or a grade in a course, the activity is not considered an extra- curricular activity. Participation in extracurricular activities does not include attendance at athletic events or drama productions. Extracurricular activities may include: student government,  service  clubs,  athletics, performing groups, subject area and special interests  organizations, civic-oriented activities, honor societies, and leisure activities. Other community groups involving middle and high school students, using school name and facilities, will be included under the testing guidelines.  On-Campus parking is a privilege and subject to the mandatory random testing policy.

Policy Implementation
Each student and each student’s custodial parent/guardian (unless the student is 18 years of age or emancipated) wishing to participate in extracurricular activities must give written consent for random alcohol/drug testing and for the release of the test results to: Surry County Schools (SCS), The Drug Testing Administrator, the student and the student’s custodial parent/guardian, and the school principal or his/her designee on a form provided by SCS. Program withdrawal forms will be made available upon request. The commitment to extracurricular activities and voluntary random alcohol/drug testing will be valid until a student has graduated from high school.   All other students will be encouraged to sign up at the beginning of each school year. Students wishing to be involved in extracurricular activities will be reminded of the Mandatory Random Alcohol/Drug Testing Policy prior to participation in the activities and at the beginning of each semester. Students may sign-up at any time during the school year. Sign-up procedures and policy guidelines will be addressed annually. All information pertaining to the policy will be included in the student handbook. Each school shall create a unified database listing individuals who have signed up for the random testing program. It shall be the responsibility of the test administrator to maintain for each middle and high school a separate but unified database consisting of all individuals who have given permission for testing under the program. The test administrator randomly will select participants subject to testing at each school. The day of testing shall be varied so that testing does not become predictable.

Method of Collection
The following procedures shall be used for the collection of urine specimens at the individual schools. For random testing, the test administrator shall notify the school, in a secure manner, prior to 8:00 a.m. on the day of testing of the individuals selected for testing. Collection of samples will correlate with the school calendar taking into consideration state testing dates, exam dates, etc. The administrator shall send, the principal or the principal’s designee, by runner, FAX or e-mail, the numbers (not names) of the individual selected for testing. The school will determine each individual’s name and schedule. All selected for testing at a school shall not be notified simultaneously. A school employee will notify each individual personally that he/she has been selected for testing immediately prior to testing. The individual shall be escorted immediately to the collection site. The individual shall not be allowed to go to his/her locker for any reason. The individual may not leave the presence of a school employee or the test administrator’s staff until he/she has provided a urine specimen. If the individual refuses to cooperate with school employees or the test administrator’s staff, the individual’s refusal to cooperate shall be reported as a “positive” result. The collection of urine samples for the testing program shall occur on campus rather than at an off campus collection facility. Each school and the test administrator shall select, by mutual agreement, one or two restrooms to use for collecting urine samples. The following procedures, at a minimum, shall be used to ensure that the privacy interests of each individual are respected during the collection of the individual’s urine specimen. The test administrator’s staff (female for female student and male for male student) shall monitor each individual in a non-intrusive manner to detect any attempt to provide a false urine sample. Immediately upon receipt of urine sample it shall be tested to determine its temperature. All specimens outside of normal temperature limits will be considered invalid and the individual shall be required to provide another urine sample. Participants will be given the opportunity to notify the Medical Review Officer (MRO)/Test Administrator in writing if they are taking any prescription or non-prescription drugs at the time of the test. In the event that a positive drug test creates an urgent health issue or a safety concern for that individual, the Test Administrator or MRO, under prior written agreement, will immediately contact the individual’s parent/guardian and/or a school administrator.

Parent or Guardian Notification
The Test Administrator will notify (via U. S. Mail) the parent or guardian of students tested at the following intervals:

        1) the day a student was tested,
        2) when there is a negative report, and
        3) when there is a positive report. A positive report will be sent through registered U. S. Mail.

Consequences of a Positive Test
If an individual tests positive for alcohol or drugs, the report must be shared in a confidential manner with the individual and/or the student’s parent/guardian and information shall be provided to the individual and/or the student’s parent/guardian regarding alcohol and drug abuse prevention and intervention programs in the community. The report shall not be made a part of the individual’s record nor shall any individual be disciplined, suspended, or expelled for a positive test result through this voluntary program. In the event an individual fails or refuses to participate in the alcohol/drug  test when selected at a random or tests positive for alcohol or drugs, school administrators will be notified and the individual shall be ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities for 365 calendar days. However, if the individual agrees to be assessed, enrolls in, and successfully completes a board approved substance abuse  education  and/or  intervention  program  at  their  own expense, the  individual  shall  maintain  eligibility  to participate in extracurricular activities and school administrators will not be notified. An individual may choose to participate in an alternative program with the superintendent’s approval and at the parent’s/individual’s expense. The individual shall not be subject to suspension from school as a result of a positive test.

Refusal or Inability to Provide Sample
The test administrator shall implement appropriate procedures for use in the event an individual refuses to provide a urine sample or states that he/she is physically unable to provide a urine sample. A refusal to provide a urine sample will be treated as a “positive” test result. At a minimum, if an individual says that he/she is unable to provide a urine sample, the individual will be given a large glass of water and up to two hours to provide a urine sample. If the individual states that he/she has a medical problem, which prevents the individual from providing a urine sample, the individual will be given the opportunity to communicate with the test administrator or the MRO. The test administrator or the MRO, in conjunction with the individual’s physician, shall determine whether or not the individual has a legitimate medical reason for being excused from testing.

Cost of the Program
The Surry County Board of Education will pay all costs associated with this program with the exception of treatment services chosen as a result of a positive result.