After weeks of mulling over a proposed drug-testing policy, the Greenwood School Board has backed away.
Board members failed without comment to act on a motion Tuesday night by Jimmy Dale Carter to adopt the proposed policy.
Margaret Clark, president of the school board, said members would discuss the proposal in an upcoming work session.
Superintendent Les Daniels presented the proposed policy, which he had initiated and attorney Richard Oakes had written.
The policy was designed to provide a method for testing student who participated in extracurricular activities and to provide some sort of action if a student tested positive for illegal drugs or performance enhancing substances.
Daniels provided a copy of the policy, which for weeks the school district had kept out of public view, despite a request by the Commonwealth under the state's Open Records Act.
The policy would have applied to Greenwood High School and Middle School students involved in a range of activities, from athletics to the chess club.
The policy would have required all students who participated in school activities and their parents to sign a consent form or not participate in extracurricular school functions.
The district would decide the number of students to be tested.
An independent testing laboratory would be in charge of drawing names at random and conducting the urine tests.
Students selected for testing would be asked to list their legally prescribed medicines. Parents and guardians would have to verify the list.
The lab would test for drugs that are illegal for anyone to have, sell or use, all prescription drugs obtained without authorization and for abuse of over-the-counter drugs.
Although the policy said the school district would cooperate with law enforcement, the tests wouldn't be released to authorities without a court order or a subpoena.
However, nothing in the policy would prevent school district officials from making reports required by law to law enforcement agencies.
The proposed penalties vary with the amount of offenses. The district would restrict all students who test positive from activities.
For the first offense a student would see a 14-day suspension from all extracurricular activities, would have to participate in drug counseling and submit to a follow-up test within two weeks.
A second positive test would result in suspension from all extracurricular activities for the remainder of the semester and successful completion of four hours of substance abuse counseling provided by the school.
A third positive test in the same school year would result in suspension from activities for the remainder of the school year.
Students would be entitled to a hearing as in any disciplinary procedure.
Under the proposed policy, the district would consider any student who refused the test as in violation of the agreement.
But if the student submitted to the test within 24 hours, he or she would remain eligible for extracurricular activities.
