Stevensville School District

PERSONNEL

Drug and Alcohol Testing for School Bus and Commercial Vehicle Drivers

School bus and commercial vehicle drivers shall be subject to a drug and alcohol testing program that fulfills the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 382.

Other persons who drive vehicles designed to transport sixteen (16) or more passengers,  including the driver, are likewise subject to the drug and alcohol testing program.

Testing procedures and facilities used for the tests shall conform with the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, §§ 40, et seq.

Pre-Employment Tests

Tests shall be conducted before the first time a driver performs any safety-sensitive function for  the District. Safety-sensitive functions include all on-duty functions performed from the time a driver begins work or is required to be ready to work, until he/she is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work. It includes driving; waiting to be dispatched; inspecting and servicing equipment; supervising, performing, or assisting in loading and unloading; repairing or obtaining and waiting for help with a disabled vehicle; performing driver requirements related to accidents; and performing any other work for the District or paid work for any entity. The tests shall be required of an applicant only after he/she has been offered the position.

Exceptions may be made for drivers who have had the alcohol test required by law within the previous six (6) months and participated in the drug testing program required by law within the previous thirty (30) days, provided that the District has been able to make all verifications required by law.

Post-Accident Tests

Alcohol and controlled substance tests shall be conducted as soon after an accident as practicable  on any driver:

1. Who was performing safety-sensitive functions with respect to the vehicle, if the accident involved loss of human life; or

2. Who receives a citation under state or local law, for a moving traffic violation arising from the accident.

Drivers shall make themselves readily available for testing, absent the need for immediate medical attention.

No such driver shall use alcohol for eight (8) hours after the accident, or until after he/she undergoes a post-accident alcohol test, whichever occurs first.

If an alcohol test is not administered within two (2) hours or if a drug test is not administered within thirty-two (32) hours, the District shall prepare and maintain records explaining why the test was not conducted. Tests will not be given if not administered within eight (8) hours after the accident for alcohol or within thirty-two (32) hours for drugs.

Tests conducted by authorized federal, state, or local officials will fulfill post-accident testing requirements, provided they conform to applicable legal requirements and are obtained by the District. Breath tests will validate only the alcohol test and cannot be used to fulfill controlled substance testing obligations.

Random Tests

Tests shall be conducted on a random basis at unannounced times throughout the year. Tests for alcohol shall be conducted just before, during, or just after the performance of safety-sensitive functions. The number of random alcohol tests annually must equal twenty-five percent (25%) of the average number of driver positions. The number of random drug tests annually must equal fifty percent (50%) of the average number of driver positions. Drivers shall be selected by a scientifically valid random process, and each driver shall have an equal chance of being tested each time selections are made.

Reasonable Suspicion Tests

Tests shall be conducted when a supervisor or District official trained in accordance with law has reasonable suspicion that the driver has violated the District’s alcohol or drug prohibitions. This reasonable suspicion must be based on specific, contemporaneous, articulable observations concerning the driver’s appearance, behavior, speech, or body odors. The observations may  include indications of the chronic and withdrawal effects of controlled substances.

Alcohol tests are authorized for reasonable suspicion only if the required observations are made during, just before, or just after the period of the work day when the driver must comply with alcohol prohibitions. An alcohol test may not be conducted by the person who determines that reasonable suspicion exists to conduct such a test. If an alcohol test is not administered within two (2) hours of a determination of reasonable suspicion, the District shall prepare and maintain a record explaining why this was not done. Attempts to conduct alcohol tests shall terminate after eight (8) hours.

A supervisor or District official who makes observations leading to a controlled substance reasonable suspicion test shall make a written record of his/her observations within twenty-four (24) hours of the observed behavior or before the results of the drug test are released, whichever is earlier.

Enforcement
Any driver who refuses to submit to a post-accident, random, reasonable suspicion, or follow-up test shall not perform or continue to perform safety-sensitive functions.

Drivers who test positive for alcohol or drugs shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

A driver who violates District prohibitions related to drugs and alcohol shall receive from the  District the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of substance abuse professionals and counseling and treatment programs available to evaluate and resolve drug and alcohol-related problems. The employee shall be evaluated by a substance abuse professional who shall  determine what help, if any, the driver needs in resolving such a problem. Any substance abuse professional who determines that a driver needs assistance shall not refer the driver to a private practice, person, or organization in which he/she has a financial interest, except under circumstances allowed by law.

An employee identified as needing help in resolving a drug or alcohol problem shall be evaluated by a substance abuse professional to determine that he/she has properly followed the prescribed  rehabilitation program and shall be subject to unannounced follow-up tests after returning to duty.

Return-to-Duty Tests

A drug or alcohol test shall be conducted when a driver who has violated the District’s drug or alcohol prohibition returns to performing safety-sensitive duties.

Employees whose conduct involved drugs cannot return to duty in a safety-sensitive function until the return-to-duty drug test produces a verified negative result.

Employees whose conduct involved alcohol cannot return to duty in a safety-sensitive function until the return-to-duty alcohol test produces a verified result that meets federal and District standards.

Follow-Up Tests

A driver who violates the District’s drug or alcohol prohibition and is subsequently identified by a substance abuse professional as needing assistance in resolving a drug or alcohol problem shall be subject to unannounced follow-up testing as directed by the substance abuse professional in accordance with law. Follow-up alcohol testing shall be conducted just before, during, or just after the time when the driver is performing safety-sensitive functions.

Records

Employee drug and alcohol test results and records shall be maintained under strict confidentiality and released only in accordance with law. Upon written request, a driver shall receive copies of any records pertaining to his/her use of drugs or alcohol, including any records pertaining to his/her drug or alcohol tests. Records shall be made available to a subsequent employer or other identified persons only as expressly requested in writing by the driver.

Notifications

Each driver shall receive educational materials that explain the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 382, together with a copy of the District’s policy and regulations for meeting these requirements. Representatives of employee organizations shall be notified of the availability of this information. The information shall identify:

1. The person designated by the District to answer driver questions about the materials;

2. The categories of drivers who are subject to the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49,  Part 382;

3. Sufficient information about the safety-sensitive functions performed by drivers to make clear what period of the work day the driver is required to comply with Part 382;

4. Specific information concerning driver conduct that is prohibited by Part 382;

5. The circumstances under which a driver will be tested for drugs and/or alcohol under Part  382;

6. The procedures that will be used to test for the presence of drugs and alcohol, protect the  driver and the integrity of the testing processes, safeguard the validity of test results, and ensure that test results are attributed to the correct driver;

7. The requirement that a driver submit to drug and alcohol tests administered in accordance with Part 382;

8. An explanation of what constitutes a refusal to submit to a drug or alcohol test and the attendant consequences;

9. The consequences for drivers found to have violated the drug and alcohol prohibitions of  Part 382, including the requirement that the driver be removed immediately from safety- sensitive functions and the procedures for referral, evaluation, and treatment;

10. The consequences for drivers found to have an alcohol concentration of 0.02 or greater  but less than 0.04;

11. Information concerning the effects of drugs and alcohol on an individual’s health, work, and personal life; signs and symptoms of a drug or alcohol problem (the driver’s or a  coworker’s); and available methods of intervening when a drug or alcohol problem is suspected, including confrontation, referral to an employee assistance program, and/or  referral to management; and

12. The requirement that the following personal information collected and maintained under  this part shall be reported to the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol  Clearinghouse:

A. A verified positive, adulterated, or substituted drug test result;

B. An alcohol confirmation test with a concentration of 0.04 or higher;

C. A refusal to submit to any test required by law;

D. An employer’s report of actual knowledge, as defined in law:

E. On duty alcohol use;

F. Pre-duty alcohol use;

G. Alcohol use following an accident;

H. Controlled substance use;

I. A substance abuse professional report of the successful completion of the return-to-duty process;

J. A negative return-to-duty test; and

K. An employer’s report of completion of follow-up testing.

Drivers shall also receive information about legal requirements, District policies, and disciplinary consequences related to the use of alcohol and drugs.

Each driver shall sign a statement certifying that he/she has received a copy of the above materials.

Before any driver operates a commercial motor vehicle, the District shall provide him/her with  post-accident procedures that will make it possible to comply with post-accident testing  requirements.

Before drug and alcohol tests are performed, the District shall inform drivers that the tests are given pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 382. This notice shall be provided only after the compliance date specified in law.

The District shall notify a driver of the results of a pre-employment drug test if the driver requests such results within sixty (60) calendar days of being notified of the disposition of his/her employment application.

The District shall notify a driver of the results of random, reasonable suspicion, and post-accident drug tests if the test results are verified positive. The District shall also tell the driver which controlled substance(s) were verified as positive.

Drivers shall inform their supervisors if at any time they are using a controlled substance which their physician has prescribed for therapeutic purposes. Such a substance may be used only if the physician has advised the driver that it will not adversely affect his/her ability to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.

Clearinghouse

The School District will comply with the requirements of the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The School District and Transportation service providers are called upon to report DOT drug and alcohol testing program violations to the Clearinghouse. Drivers have been notified that any information subject to disclosure will be submitted to the Clearinghouse in accordance with this policy and applicable regulations.

Legal Reference:
49 C.F.R. Part 40 Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and  Alcohol Testing
49. C.F.R. Part 382 Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing

Policy History:
Adopted on: February 12, 2002
Reviewed on: August 10, 2021
Revised on: June 9, 2009; September 14, 2021