Davis School District employees will likely soon be subject to federal drug rules including a provision that requires employees to report drug-related convictions.
The new rules were reviewed by the school board at its meeting Tuesday night and will appear on the first reading agenda at its meeting on June 6. A final vote should come on June 20.Superintendent Richard Kendell said that if the district wishes to continue to receive federal funding or grants, it must comply with provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Act. When the law was enacted by Congress in 1983, it made federal funding contingent on compliance.
Steve Ronnenkamp, assistant superintendent, said the district has no intention of conducting drug tests in conjunction with the new policy.
The policy will require that employees neither use nor produce drugs on the job. The board will give Kendell the power to deal with policy violations.
Administrators will be required to document changes in job performance, presence of drug paraphernalia, accidents where alcohol or drug use was a factor and employee absences where there is reason to suspect the cause may be related to substance abuse, the policy says.
Any employee found in violation may be subject to discipline that could include probation, suspension or termination of employment. Similar sanctions will apply to those who are convicted of drug-related activity while on the job. Enrollment in a drug treatment program will not necessarily lessen disciplinary action.