Obion County board OKs amendment treating drug-test refusals as positive

The Obion County Board of Education on Sept. 2 approved an amendment to Board Policy 6.3071 that treats refusal to submit to a student alcohol or drug test as a positive test result and provides for suspension pending a disciplinary hearing.

Director Tim Watkins told the board the amended policy states that refusal "shall be treated as a positive test result" and that the student "shall be suspended from school pending a hearing before the disciplinary hearing authority; and [the district will] notify the parent or guardian of the student of the impending test." The board voted to adopt the amendment on Watkins' recommendation; the motion was made by Jared Poore and seconded by Keisha Hooper. MOTION APPROVED.

The amendment modifies the district's disciplinary process for suspected alcohol or drug use by students: under the new language, a student's refusal to submit to testing triggers the same immediate consequences as a positive test, including suspension until a formal hearing. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes provided.

Board members did not request or record additional procedural safeguards or an alternative testing protocol in the meeting minutes. The minutes do not specify appeals timelines, which hearing authority will preside in each case beyond the description "disciplinary hearing authority," or whether counselors or other supports will be offered prior to or during suspension.

Director Watkins presented the amendment as an administrative change and recommended approval; no public comment related to this policy appears in the meeting record.

The board's minutes and the recorded meeting are the district's records of the vote and the described disciplinary language. The minutes were taken by Allison Neal and the meeting was recorded and stored electronically.