Local school districts don't drug-test teachers

Most student athletes in Northwest Georgia school systems are tested for drugs and some for steroids, but what about school personnel?

Georgia law requires school systems to drug-test school bus drivers and certain people who drive school-owned vehicles, but teachers and other personnel face no testing unless there's suspicious activity, said Catoosa County Public Schools spokeswoman Marissa Brower.

"We can drug-test teachers (and bus drivers) if there's a suspicion," Ms. Brower said.

State law requires background checks for teachers, she said. Otherwise, "we do what the state requires."

Georgia doesn't require student or teacher drug testing, but it is allowed under certain circumstances.

On-the-job injuries trigger most drug tests for teachers and school staff under most local policies, Georgia Professional Standards Commission spokesman Rick Eiserman said.

Georgia School Boards Association spokeswoman Laura Reilly said the state adheres to U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the issue. According to documents on the association's "eLaw" Web site, "(A) drug or alcohol test conducted by the government against an employee, student or anyone else is a search under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

"In 1990, the Georgia General Assembly passed a statute which would have required new state employees to submit to pre-employment drug screening," documents state. "A federal court quickly declared the law unconstitutional as a violation of the fourth amendment prohibition against illegal searches."

For students, Supreme Court rulings allow drug testing when officials suspect a student is using drugs or the student is under conditional orders to undergo testing in order to "attend an alternative school or similar special program," documents state.

A 2002 ruling upheld a local policy requiring drug tests and later random tests of students who want to participate in extracurricular activities, according to documents.

"(T)he court held that the prevention of student drug use was a worthwhile goal for any board of education," the statute states.

Student athletes in Catoosa, Walker and Whitfield are tested for drugs, and Whitfield also tests them for steroids.

State Department of Education spokesman Matt Cardoza said that, aside from drivers, the state leaves drug testing decisions to local officials.

A 2007-08 Safe and Drug-Free Schools report shows "31 school systems (in Georgia) reported using student drug testing," Mr. Cardoza said.

Dade County and Dalton public schools conduct no student or teacher drug tests under ordinary circumstances, officials said.

Local rules call for drug tests "when someone seeks treatment for a claim of injury under workers' compensation or when we have a reasonable suspicion of drug use that is evident while working," said Deana Farmer, spokeswoman for Dalton.

A Dalton school teacher is facing DUI and drug-related charges in an incident that happened while schools were closed for fall break, records show. Officials so far have left the teacher in her post at City Park Elementary School until the charges are settled in court and have not commented further.

"We investigate every case of suspected misconduct and, when appropriate, conduct drug tests," Ms. Farmer said.